Semper Vivens
by InYourNightmares
Summary: Life threw Regulus Black and Vivienne Rosier into the most convenient situation possible. They were both rich, pure-blooded, Slytherin, and their parents certainly approved. But as the war progresses and the Dark Lord's influence grows, Regulus finds that he must make a choice between doing what is morally right and keeping the woman he loves happy. Regulus/OC, slight Rabastan/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Hey guys! To those who've read my previous story, La Trahison, Semper Vivens is kind of a sister story, and some of the minor characters in that are major characters in this. No worries if you haven't read that, though; it's not quite essential to the plotline. **

**Warnings – **

**This story is a tragedy. I will make no attempts to hide that it has no happy ending. If you've read La Trahison, you'll know what happens to them. **

**This story is very different from my other one. Vivienne is nothing like Rochelle. As a matter of fact, I admit that my OC is kind of a bitch in the beginning. That's how I want it to be.**

**This IS an OC story. There are people who think that all OCs are Mary Sues or self-inserts. If you're one of those people then I won't ask you not to read this story, but I will ask you not to try to share your opinions with me and expect me to agree. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. That being said, as long as you're not prejudiced against my story without reading it, I do appreciate and welcome constructive criticism. I've deleted entire chapters and changed plotlines because I've been inspired by reviewer's suggestions and remarks.**

**There are claims that the Rosiers and the Blacks are related. I checked this through, and that would make Regulus and Vivienne second or third cousins, though only by marriage. They don't share any blood. If you still consider this incest, then I'm sorry. In my opinion it helps capture the reality of pureblood society. They're all somehow related to each other. **

**Although this is mainly Regulus/OC, it contains sub-plots of Rabastan/OC and Narcissa/Lucius**

**That's about it. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1**

Vivienne Rosier would have given anything to be on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

She lay on her stomach on the grass, chin resting on elbows as she watched the figures in green zoom around the Quidditch pitch. Mondays and Thursdays were Slytherin's allotted practice times and no matter how much homework Vivienne had, she made it a point to come down and watch from her spot on the lawns. The spot was a good distance away; she liked it best because it afforded her a good view without attracting any attention to herself.

There was something about the freedom of the wind running through her hair that Vivienne adored. She loved how nothing mattered but the smoothness of the wood under her legs and the wind roaring in her ears.

Vivienne blew a strand of hair out of her face and watched skeptically as Lucius Malfoy swerved into a dive that he couldn't possibly pull out of. _Show-off_, Vivienne thought, as the blonde haired boy crashed, the edge of his broom hitting the ground before he did. Luckily, another team member flew down to help him out and he seemed uninjured. Vivienne rolled her eyes. Stupid and reckless feats were usually left to the Gryffindors. Slytherins did what they had to do to win, that was all. Clearly Malfoy was yet to understand that.

"Vivienne! Viv! You'll never believe what we have to tell you!" a voice called out. Vivienne turned and saw two girls heading towards her. Narcissa Black and Freya Hazelwood were her closest friends, and they'd all bonded in their very first year at Hogwarts. The three girls shared both a dorm room and a love for gossip. Vivienne sat up as they finally reached her.

"What's the news?" she asked, watching them both catch their breath. Narcissa was a little red in the face, but Freya looked almost gleeful. "Merlin, you two are out of shape. Did you just run all the way from the dungeons?"

Freya smiled, plopping down on the grass beside her friend. "Well, we just couldn't wait to find you. Go on, Cissy, tell her. You're practically blushing."

"It's the heat," Narcissa insisted, but there was more to the unusual flush of her pale skin than just the afternoon sun. She pushed her blonde hair back from her face and looked up at Vivienne sheepishly. "I just received a letter from my Mum. I'm to be betrothed."

Vivienne's eyes widened, and she stared at her friend in surprise. "_No_!"

"Well, don't stop there, tell her who it is!" Freya pressed eagerly.

Narcissa's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She looked as though she was trying not to show her pleasure, but the corner of her mouth was turned up. It was clear that whoever this man was, she was very happy with the idea of him. "Lucius Malfoy."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "The one who thinks he can pull off a Wronski Feint when he can barely fly? I think you could do better, Cissy. He's a bit stuck up."

Narcissa shrugged, trying not to look offended. Vivienne was known for her brutal honesty, and both she and Freya had learned to handle it. Still, it hurt slightly that her friend didn't seem to think as highly of her betrothed as she did. Freya noticed Narcissa's uncomfortable expression and attempted to lighten the mood.

"Oh, sod off Viv," Freya replied simply. "You're just jealous that she found a husband before you. I think he's _gorgeous_, Narcissa. You're going to have the most adorable little babies!"

"As long as they don't inherit his flying skills," Vivienne retorted, smiling at Freya. The awkwardness faded away and the two girls smirked at each other, ready to start their usual banter. "But I'm afraid that pitiful flying seems to be the dominant gene nowadays."

"Well, I think Lucius is a wonderful match for Narcissa. He's quite the gentleman."

"I think he's an arrogant prick."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. The conversation wasn't even about Lucius anymore, it was that Freya and Vivienne refused to agree about anything. Vivienne's brutal honesty and Freya's willingness to say anything to make people happy, often collided. "It doesn't matter what either of you think," Narcissa pointed out. "Because _I'm _the one that's marrying him. And I think he's handsome."

"Fine," Vivienne shrugged, giving in. "Hopefully you can get him to cut that hair once you're married. Who gave him the idea that a _ponytail _would look good, I don't know."

Narcissa smiled, turning to look at the Quidditch pitch. Lucius was up in the air, yelling at one of his teammates. There was something about his confident swagger and icy blue eyes that entranced her. She knew that she was lucky to get a catch like him, especially considering the scandal her family had gone through when Sirius Black eloped over the summer. Narcissa was determined to make her parents proud. If Bellatrix could be betrothed to a rich man from an ancient pureblood line, then so could she.

"Daydreaming about him already, Cissy?" Vivienne teased, as she noticed her friend's eyes linger on her betrothed. "You're not going to be married quite yet, we still have over two years left at Hogwarts. You'll have to be content ogling him while he's playing Quidditch."

Freya raised an eyebrow at Vivienne playfully. "As if you don't already do that. To be honest, all this nonsense about you being passionate about Quidditch doesn't convince me. I've never once seen you on a broom. I think you just come down here twice a week to stare at the boys."

Vivienne laughed. She had to admit, Freya wasn't completely off. Slytherin's handsome boys _did _give her a little incentive to come down here whenever there was Quidditch practice, although it wasn't the only reason. "Oh, really? Do tell, which of our _stunning _team members do you think has caught my eye, Freya?"

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many to choose from. I would have to say that the best looking one is probably..."

"Lucius," Narcissa filled in. Vivienne raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Really, Cissy? I understand that you're betrothed to him, but he is by no means the most handsome boy up there," Vivienne replied.

Narcissa shrugged. "_I _think he is," she mumbled, but Freya had already made her decision.

"Evan Rosier," Freya decided, shooting Vivienne a sneaky look. Her friend's mouth dropped open in horror and disgust. "He's got it all; the hair, the eyes and those gorgeous _muscles_..."

"That's my _brother_, you little minx!" Vivienne cried, hitting her friend playfully. "Don't you dare talk about him like that around me! And if you're getting any ideas, you should know that he has absolutely _no _manners. He was trying to grope Bellatrix the other day and she would have hexed him if I hadn't stepped in."

Freya shrugged, rolling onto her side so that she was out of Vivienne's reach. "All right, all right! You deserved it after what you said about Lucius, I was just playing with you!"

"And besides," Vivienne put in, once she'd given up trying to hit Freya. "We all know who _you _think is the most handsome one out there. Or haven't you fancied Rabastan Lestrange since second year?"

Freya shook her head, trying to keep a straight face. "Don't be silly. Everyone knows he's infatuated with Rochelle Vittori. I couldn't compete with her even if I wanted to, which I don't!"

"Vittori's a prude." Vivienne waved a hand dismissively. "She'll never fall for him. Once he realizes that, your path is clear. Maybe he just needs a prod in the right direction."

Freya blushed. She quickly got to her feet, dusting off her robes and trying not to look embarrassed. "Well, that's enough chatter for today. I'm starving and if we don't hurry, we'll be late for lunch. Come on, then."

Vivienne got up as well and followed her friends to the Great Hall, as they joked around. Deep down, she was a little glad that Regulus Black hadn't come up in their discussion. She wasn't sure what she would do if her friends ever found out she was intrigued by the only boy in their year who never shot girls a second glance.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Regulus Black entered the Great Hall still in his Quidditch robes, after a long morning of practice. He was ravenous and he plopped down beside Mulciber, who was talking loudly about some nonsense that Regulus didn't care to pay attention to. If there was one thing he detested, it was people who talked too much. It was fascinating at times, the stupidity that often came out of the mouths of fellow wizards. Besides, he heard enough incessant chatter at home, courtesy of his mother.

"Nice practice, mate," Rabastan Lestrange acknowledged Regulus from across the Slytherin table. "You're getting quite good. We'll beat Ravenclaw next week."

"We will," Regulus promised. Lestrange nodded at him before turning back to Malfoy and Regulus gave himself a moment to appreciate the compliment. It meant quite a bit coming from Lestrange; he was a bloody good player and had been on the team since his third year, while Regulus had only gotten on it in his fifth. All the same, Lestrange was prone to using cheap tactics against his opponents, especially the Gryffindors. _It's a shame_, Regulus thought to himself. _He has a lot of talent, he just needs morals. _

Regulus ate quietly, while the rest of the table chattered. Although Slytherins weren't loud and usually maintained a better semblance of discipline than the other houses, the amount of gossip and rumours that circulated around probably exceeded all the other houses combined. Everything in Slytherin happened behind closed doors.

"_No! _He did that? You're _joking_!" a female voice exclaimed. It came from the other side of the table, but it was so loud that Regulus heard it clearly from his seat. He only had to look up once to know that the person talking was Vivienne Rosier, along with her friends Freya and Narcissa.

Regulus stabbed his fork into his food, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. If Slytherin had anything close to gossip queens, it was probably those three. They never seemed to stop yapping and it was usually about something completely juvenile and immature. Regulus thought they were silly. Who cared how short Fiona Hemway's skirt was, when there was bigger issues in the world? Somebody needed to teach those girls to grow up, but it wouldn't be him. He wanted nothing to do with Evan Rosier and Bellatrix Black's little sisters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There were three simple, but essential things that one needed to fit into Slytherin house. Looks, money and blood status. Both Vivienne and Narcissa had a perfect combination of all three.

Freya Hazelwood was not quite modest enough to think that she didn't have at least a little of the first. She was a slim girl, with large blue eyes and a smiling face. Although her blonde hair wasn't as beautiful or silky as Vivienne's chestnut locks, it was still one of her assets. Freya might not have been the most striking girl in their year, but she _did _have looks and she knew how to use them to her advantage.

The problem was with the other two. Money and blood status were things that Freya neither had, nor was capable of acquiring. She was a half-blood; her father was a Muggle, and the name _Hazelwood _didn't exist in the wizarding world, hence why most Slytherins gave her blank looks when she told them her name. It was almost as though they were trying to assess how pure her blood was. And while her family was not poor, it could certainly never equal the vast fortunes that were owned by the Black and Rosier families. Which was why Freya would always, _always _be inferior to her two best friends.

"Don't suppose you have a date to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Vivienne asked her, as they lounged in the common room. Narcissa and Freya were doing their homework, but Vivienne had abandoned it long ago. She had written enough to scrape an Acceptable on her essay, and that was enough for her. She didn't quite have many aspirations in the academic field.

Narcissa looked up and nodded. "Yes, I do. Lucius asked me to have lunch with him."

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Of course, I forgot. You're betrothed to Malfoy. _How boring. _What about you, Freya? Rabastan Lestrange come to his senses yet?"

Freya shrugged. She didn't want to mention that even if Rabastan hadn't been infatuated with Vittori, he would never ask out a half-blood like her. "No, I don't have a date. I don't really have any shopping to do either, though we could go get a Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks if you'd like. Unless _you _have plans."

Vivienne shook her head. "No, I don't. A Butterbeer sounds good." She twirled her quill between her fingers, staring into the fire as her two friends wrote their essays. Her gaze drifted over to a lone figure that sat by the fire, reading a book. Regulus Black didn't seem to socialize as much as the rest of his classmates. Admittedly, he spoke enough to keep up a respectable appearance, but Vivienne had never seen him joke around and laugh with anyone. "Why is he so serious all the time, do you think?" she asked lightly.

Narcissa glanced up. "Who?"

"Regulus Black," Vivienne replied. He intrigued her, but she didn't want her friends to think that she was expressing more than the usual interest. She tried to treat it as a bit of gossip. "He's always sitting there brooding, as though he's responsible for the world's problems. Doesn't anyone ever tell him to lighten up a bit?"

Narcissa turned to look at her cousin, and frowned. "I don't know. I suppose he's become quieter since his brother ran away from home, but he was never much of a talker. He's not rude, though; just quiet."

Vivienne nodded. Something about those mysterious grey eyes drew her in. She forced her gaze away from him and looked up to see Rabastan Lestrange making eyes at Vittori again. Vivienne scrunched up her nose in displeasure. How could Rochelle Vittori be so oblivious to his interest in her? It was almost astonishing that she was one of the best students in her year and yet couldn't notice that a boy fancied her. Vivienne blinked when Narcissa slammed a book on the table with a sigh. "Well, I'm done," the blonde girl declared. "And i have prefect duties tonight, so unlike you two, I won't get much rest."

"That's why I never wanted to be a prefect," Vivienne replied dismissively. "Too much work and too little acknowledgement. It would drive me crazy."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "_Professor Dumbledore_ will have gone crazy if he makes you a prefect. All right then, I'm going up to bed. Viv?"

"I'm not tired," Vivienne replied simply. "I'll stay down here a bit."

The two girls left; Narcissa for her prefect duties and Freya upstairs to their dorms. Vivienne was left sitting alone in her armchair, twirling the quill that hadn't written a word in over an hour. Her gaze drifted back to Regulus Black. He was still reading his book, a serious expression on his face. Something about it bothered Vivienne. She hesitated for a moment, before silently scolding herself.

Vivienne Rosier was not afraid of anyone. Besides, what did she have to lose?

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Regulus was engrossed in the book he was reading, when he felt the couch he was sitting on move slightly. He frowned, glancing up and noticing that someone had sat on the other side of the couch. He saw chestnut hair and a sheepish smile before he realized it was Vivienne Rosier. He blinked.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked him lightly. She had sheets of parchment and a quill in her hand and seemed to be doing some sort of homework. "My friends left, and I didn't want to sit there alone. I can leave if it's a problem."

Regulus blinked. He'd never spoken to Rosier up close before, but he was suddenly struck by the fact that her smile was quite a sight. Of course, he found her loud and incessant giggling annoying, but she wasn't giggling at the moment. She was smiling. It did wonders to her small and rather innocent-looking face. He tore his eyes away and cleared his throat. "Um, no. That's all right."

He turned back to his book, glancing over the top of it to make sure that she was only doing her work. Her wavy hair fell over her shoulder, partially shielding his view of her face and the mouth that he'd been staring at moments ago. Feeling oddly relieved, he turned back to his book and continued to read. They sat in silence for a few moments. Regulus had reread the same sentence at least thrice when Vivienne spoke again. "How many properties of moonstone are there?" she asked thoughtfully.

Regulus glanced up. She was looking at him through her chocolate-colored eyes, waiting for a response. "Um, over twenty, I suppose. But we only needed to list fifteen for the Potions essay."

"Oh," she smiled at him again. "Thanks. I'm sorry for bothering you, I'll just-" her hand reached over to dip her quill in the bottle of ink, but it ended up knocking over a few of Regulus' books that were lying beside it. They went clattering to the floor and Vivienne's eyes widened. "Merlin, I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy- I'll get that..."

Regulus shook his head and they both quickly gathered the books that had fallen down. Some scraps of paper slipped out of one of them, and Vivienne couldn't help but glance at them. They were articles about the Dark Lord. She scanned one, and then looked up at him in surprise. "Are you planning on joining, then?"

Regulus blinked at her. "Pardon?"

She shook the article in front of him. "The Dark Lord. Do you plan to join? My brother does. Father's encouraging him, since he's in the inner circle already. I didn't know that your family were associated as well."

Regulus took the paper back from her quickly. Not only was this girl bothersome, but she was apparently also nosy. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

Vivienne was a little surprised at the rudeness. She gave the rest of the sheets back to him with a huff. "I was just curious," she replied. "You don't need to be _rude_. It's perfectly normal. You're a pureblood, I'm sure your family will be proud."

"My family is _quite _proud of me, thank you very much," Regulus replied shortly. He stacked up his books and placed them back in their original spot on the table.

Vivienne nodded. "Of course they would be. I mean, you're the heir now that your brother ran away, aren't you? I suppose anything you did would appear saint-like beside the blood traitor..." she trailed off, realizing that she might be over-stepping her boundaries. "Erm..."

Regulus was not impressed. He narrowed his eyes at her, surprised that she had the gall to speak of something that his own _parents_ didn't talk about. "I'm sorry, do you think before you speak?" he asked her, as he snapped his book shut and gathered his things. "Or do words just come spouting out of your mouth like a fountain?"

Vivienne opened her mouth to respond, but he'd already walked away. She glared after him, annoyed. Regulus Black wasn't mysterious or intriguing. He was just plain rude and she wanted nothing to do with him.

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**A/N – Wow, I wasn't expecting such a positive response for just the first chapter! Thanks so much, guys! I know this chapter isn't very long, but I'm still getting into it. Next one should be a little longer. **

**Yes, TheUnregisteredAnimagi, I agree with what you said about Platform 9 ¾. It gets old. Actually I also notice that a lot of authors list off all their OCs characteristics and life history in the first paragraph, which can get very dull. I'm trying to avoid doing that. I'm still learning, though, so if you see me do anything clichéd like that, **_**do **_**point it out. **

**Skylar Alpha, this is where your psychic powers should come into play. No? **

**CazPeak, thanks for your review. I would kindly request you, however, not to post anymore until you've unblocked me from pm'ing you. In my opinion, it's unfair that you can comment on my story without giving me a chance to defend myself. **

**Thoughts?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Vivienne glanced down at the essay that Professor Slughorn had just levitated onto her desk. There was a large E on it, and she raised an eyebrow. That essay had barely deserved an Acceptable. Then again, Professor Slughorn wasn't very well known for being impartial. She tilted her head slightly to the left and glanced at Freya's mark- she'd received an E as well, though she'd worked much harder for it than Vivienne.

"Well, then, no homework this week!" Professor Slughorn boomed happily. "I was so pleased with all your essays that I think you deserve a break. Of course, that doesn't mean you can slack off; your OWLs are fast approaching, and I would urge you to keep that in mind as you enjoy your weekend!"

Students got out of their seats and began to file out of the classroom once Slughorn dismissed them. Vivienne stuffed her essay in her bag and started to leave as well, before Professor Slughorn called her back. "Ah, Miss Rosier! A quick word, if I may?" he asked. Vivienne shot Freya an irritated glance before walking back to his desk.

"Yes, Professor Slughorn?" she asked politely. Vivienne was quite adept at pleasing her professors. It was the main reason that despite her marks being nothing extraordinary, she managed to stay in most of their good books.

Professor Slughorn smiled at her cheerfully. "I wanted to ask you how your father is doing, Miss Rosier. Busy man, isn't he? I don't suppose that he has any time for his old professor, eh?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. Her father had never once mentioned Slughorn to her. She wouldn't have known that the senior Rosier had been his student if the Potions professor hadn't told Vivienne himself. "Of course he does, Professor, he talks about you all the time. I'll certainly tell him that you asked after him, but he's doing very well."

"Excellent, excellent," mused Slughorn, looking pleased. "Well, as every year, I do intend to hold a Christmas party for some of my students! I sincerely hope to see you and your brother in attendance. I haven't had the chance to speak to Mr. Rosier since he's dropped my class this year."

Vivienne resisted the urge to laugh. Evan had been more than pleased at the chance to drop Potions; he'd detested the subject and he'd detested Slughorn even more. "It would be a pleasure, Professor. Evan was quite disappointed that he couldn't take NEWT potions, but it never was his strongest subject."

"No, I suppose not. Well, then, I'll let you go, Miss Rosier. Do tell your father that I asked after him."

"Of course, Professor."

Vivienne left the classroom and joined Freya, who was standing outside in wait. Her friend raised an eyebrow as they started to walk down the hall together. "What did he want?" she asked.

"Oh, the usual. Sucking up to my father, pretending like my brother wasn't the worst student he had in over a decade. He wants me to go to his Christmas party. It'll probably be dreadful; I'll have to hope Narcissa got an invite or I'll be bored out of my mind," Vivienne said, distractedly. "What do we have next?"

"Herbology with the Gryffindors," Freya replied and Vivienne let out an audible groan.

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Vivienne's broom glided to a smooth stop as her arm flung the Quaffle she was carrying. Her throwing skills needed a lot of improvement, mainly because her upper arm strength was quite lacking when compared to the bulky male Quidditch players. The Quaffle soared neatly through the hoop and Vivienne zoomed to the other side, catching it quickly.

Coming down to the Quidditch pitch at night to fly by herself was something Vivienne did quite often. She'd started in her third year, when Evan joined the Slytherin team and told her where all the Quidditch supplies were kept. It was risky, but Vivienne was careful. She chose nights when the Prefects on duty were Slytherins who wouldn't get her into trouble, either out of house loyalty or (more likely), fear of her large brother.

"Nice shot!" a voice yelled loudly, almost causing Vivienne to fall off her broom. She gripped the handle instinctively, turning to find the source of the noise. A boy was standing on the ground. She couldn't see his face, but he was dressed in green Quidditch robes and had a broomstick in hand. _Slytherin, _she realized, relieved. "But can you make the same shot when someone's blocking you?"

Vivienne blinked. That was Regulus Black's voice. She still remembered how he'd insulted her in the common room a few days ago. She slowly hovered down to the ground and landed in front of him, one eyebrow raised as his face came into view. Yes, it was him. "Challenge accepted," she replied.

Regulus Black started when he realized who he was talking to. Her face hadn't been clear in the dark, but her voice confirmed it. "_Rosier?" _he demanded, with a frown. "What the bloody hell do you want?"

"What do _I _want? I was flying around by myself, thank you very much. You're the one who taunted me. What do _you_ want, Black?"

Regulus didn't quite know how to respond. He'd planned to come down and get in a bit of extra practice before the match against Ravenclaw. It would be his first as Seeker on the Slytherin team, and he didn't intend to disappoint. He hadn't, however, expected to run into Rosier's bratty little sister. "I need to practice for tomorrow's match," Regulus said simply. "So you can leave now."

"Excuse me? I was here first. I'll leave when I bloody well want to," she retorted angrily. She'd been on her way back to her dorms anyway, but she refused to let this arrogant boy get the better of her. "You don't own this pitch, Black."

Regulus could feel his irritation growing. He didn't have the time or energy to deal with Vivienne's behaviour. Pushing past her, he went over to the box which contained the Quidditch balls. He undid the clasp and pulled out the snitch. It unfolded it's wings in his palm.

"You're not going to catch the snitch tomorrow," Vivienne told him matter-of-factly. One hand rested on her hip while the other held up her broom. She gave the black-haired boy a condescending look. "The Ravenclaw Seeker, Ferns? He's better than you."

Regulus took a deep, calming breath and turned to look into her chocolate colored eyes. It was fascinating, how a girl that looked so innocent could be such a snarky bitch. "He's bigger, that doesn't mean he's better," Regulus said calmly, as though he was speaking to a child. "I'm faster than him."

"You're _too _fast. You have a tendency to lose control. Speed isn't the only thing, you know. You need to be in control of your broom and know how far you can push yourself without losing it," Vivienne replied. All those hours spent watching the Slytherin team practice weren't for nothing. She knew all their strengths and weaknesses, probably better than they themselves did. "I can show you."

Regulus Black wanted to groan. Would she _never_ leave him alone? "I highly doubt there's anything that _you _can teach _me,_ Rosier. Go back to bed before you hurt yourself or worse, somebody else."

Vivienne glared. "Fine. I'll prove it to you. Catch the snitch before me, and I'll leave. If you can't, you admit that I'm right."

"I'm not playing your silly games."

"Why not? You came here to practice. If you can't beat _me, _how do you intend to beat Ferns?"

Regulus thought about it for a moment. Perhaps it was easier this way. He could beat her within a few minutes and she would go running back to the dungeons, leaving him alone. Regulus let go of the snitch and it fluttered away into the night. Keeping his sharp grey eyes on the tiny golden ball, he mounted his broom. "On the count of three," he told her quietly. Vivienne grinned and quickly mounted hers as well. "One... two..._three_!"

The two brooms flew into the air with a _whoosh_, at exactly the same time. It was dark but the golden snitch wasn't extremely difficult to spot. Regulus could see it glinting a few metres away and he turned towards it, Vivienne hot on his trail.

He'd underestimated her. Vivienne was always just a few inches behind him. She would lag behind for a few moments, but every time he made a turn, she caught up. Her upper body was bent so low that it almost seemed as if she was laying down on the broom. Regulus frowned, before spotting the snitch once more. It was tantalisingly close, and he zoomed towards it at full speed, hoping that Vivienne wouldn't have the time to react. His broom wobbled at the sudden acceleration. He stretched out his hand once the golden ball was inches away, but his broom wouldn't stop. Fingers scraped a golden wing lightly before he was carried further away from it by the force of his own inertia.

Vivienne almost laughed. He'd proven her right. He'd been going so fast that he lost control of his own broom, zooming straight past the snitch. The satisfaction of her small victory caused her to lose concentration momentarily, and she was a few seconds late in following him. Regulus had turned back around and just as Vivienne reached the snitch, his own fingers closed around it, this time successfully. Their brooms almost collided, but Vivienne swerved away quickly, landing on the ground.

Regulus smirked to himself, as the snitch fluttered weakly in his fist. He landed on the ground as well, holding it up. Vivienne looked angry with herself. "Happy, now?" he asked her, with a raised eyebrow. "This was your stupid idea, in case you don't remember."

"It was close," she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. "And besides, I was right about you. You were going so fast that you lost control. If I hadn't been distracted as well, I would have caught the snitch."

"But you _were_ distracted, and _I _caught the snitch," Regulus replied simply. This girl could say whatever she wanted, the fact remained that she hadn't been able to beat him. He had to admit though, she'd gotten pretty close. "Nice try," Regulus accepted reluctantly. He shifted his broom slightly and leaned on it. "I've noticed you watch our team practice all the time. Why didn't you try out at the start of the year?"

Vivienne blinked. "Do you know the last time a girl was on the Slytherin Quidditch team? Elizabeth Worthington. She was a Chaser in 1759, and that was about two centuries ago. She went on to play nationals and became the first female captain of an English Quidditch team. I know I'm good, Black, but even I don't think I'm _that_ good."

"Oh," Regulus muttered. He'd never thought about the fact the the Slytherin team was the only one which never seemed to have any girls on it. Most pureblood women didn't play the sport, anyway. He could only imagine Evan Rosier's face if his younger sister tried out for the team. "Right. Well, it doesn't matter, because I would have gotten Seeker even if you _did _try out."

"Not if I managed to get my hands on a decent broom," Vivienne retorted. Regulus' eyes drifted towards the broomstick she was carrying in her hands. He hadn't paid much attention to it before in the dark, but now that he saw it, he made a face.

"What _is _that?" Regulus asked, disgusted. "The very first Cleansweep they ever made? It looks bloody ancient. Don't tell me it belongs to some ancestor of yours."

Vivienne flushed, embarrassed. "No, I got it out of the Hogwarts broom cupboard, it's one of the best the school has."

"That's because nobody uses the school's brooms except maybe a few Muggle-borns who don't know better. Slytherins buy their own," Regulus answered, surprised. He could hardly bear to look at the ancient broom, and the pleasure from his victory deflated a little. Vivienne had almost beaten him on _that _old thing? His mother wouldn't have even let Kreacher sweep the house with it. "Why haven't you bought your own? The Nimbus 1001 is amazing, it's faster than any of the Cleansweeps or Comets ever were."

Vivienne gave his Nimbus a jealous glance. "My parents won't buy me a broom; they don't think flying is for girls. Evan would murder me if I asked to borrow his."

Regulus paused. He had to admit, her apparent passion for the game surprised him. He hadn't thought that Vivienne Rosier was capable of caring about anything sensible. But if she was willing to get up in the middle of the night and ride around on that pathetic broom, she must care about Quidditch a lot. "Right," he mumbled, clearing his throat. Vivienne was still casting wistful glances at his broom. "Well, we had a deal. I need to practice, so you can leave."

Vivienne rolled her eyes, but didn't protest. She was tired and wanted to go to bed. She paused for a moment, though, and turned around to look at him. He was just about to mount his broom. "Good luck for your first game tomorrow," she called out. "Don't do anything stupid, Slytherin needs this one. Ravenclaw smothered us last year."

Regulus was a little surprised, but he forced a smile back at her. "Thanks!" he called back. He took a deep breath, and forced himself to be the better man. He'd just beaten her, the least he could do was be nice. "And don't worry, I won't lose control of my broom again!"

Vivienne grinned.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – All right, I'm back! I was going to look up a few broomstick names while I wrote this chapter, but I got caught up reading about all the Cleansweeps and the Comets and the Nimbus. The Cleansweep Vivienne used is the very first one ever made, in 1926. Hence it's about forty years old. **

**danceegirl92, I'm quite sure I didn't say Vivienne was a Muggleborn. To be honest I've seen a lot of stories where a female muggleborn (OC) turns a Slytherin male (usually Regulus or Draco) into a good person by the end. I'm not criticising. Stories like that have a lot of feels, and I've enjoyed my fair share. But I wanted to try something different. Here, Regulus does not change **_**because **_**of Vivienne, but rather **_**despite**_** Vivienne, if you get me. **

**Skylar Alpha, Lol! I was so desperate to be a Slytherin on Pottermore than I manipulated all my answers. If I hadn't, I would have landed in Hufflepuff (no offense). **

**Let me know what you think! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Narcissa stopped abruptly at the door of her dormitory. She looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning back and grabbing a green scarf that was lying on her dresser. She tossed it to Vivienne, who caught it neatly and blinked. "What do I need a scarf for?" Vivienne demanded. "It's not chilly outside, I'll be fine."

Narcissa shook her head, as the two girls quickly rushed down the steps of the girls' dormitories. "No, but you're not wearing anything green. You can't turn up at a Slytherin Quidditch match without wearing anything green, it'll look like you're supporting Ravenclaw."

Vivienne's eyes widened, and she threw the scarf on. "Right. Thanks, I didn't get much sleep last night. I wasn't thinking straight."

The two girls hurried down to the Quidditch pitch together, where most people were already seated. Vivienne shot the customary dirty look at the Ravenclaw stands. She had a much more intense look that she normally reserved for Gryffindors, but the occasion didn't call for it. Slytherin was going to win today.

Freya had saved them seats in the front, and her blonde hair was flying around under a green hairband. Vivienne grinned, "Cute hairband," she told her friend, as she sat down beside her. "I'm stuck wearing this scarf. No offense, Narcissa, but it's scratching me. I'll have a rash by this afternoon."

Narcissa smiled. "My grand-aunt bought that last year. It was meant for Bellatrix, but Bella pushed it onto me. If you want to take it off my hands, you're welcome."

"Very funny, Cissy."

The girls settled down as the Quidditch players came out onto the pitch. Vivienne found her eyes drifting over to Regulus. He was standing in the line, but his back was slightly slouched and he looked tired. _Did he even sleep last night_? Vivienne wondered, horrified. _The stupid idiot! He probably spent all night on the pitch and now he's going to cost us the game! _She bit her lip anxiously as the whistle blew and the players on brooms rose into the air.

The first hour or so of the game was entertaining. Lucius didn't attempt any more stupid stunts and Vivienne was grateful for his good sense. He and Rabastan scored a decent number of points. Narcissa cheered loudly every time her betrothed managed to get the Quaffle through the hoop. She even claimed that he smiled at her once, but Vivienne hoped that wasn't true. His mind should have been on the game, not on Narcissa.

"I think Ferns has spotted the snitch!" somebody cried out. Vivienne's eyes darted over to the bulky Ravenclaw Seeker, who had suddenly picked up speed and looked determined. It might have just been a ruse, but a few seconds later, Regulus was hot on his trail. The two figures zoomed side-by-side at top speed.

"Rosier! Bludger him!" she heard Lucius scream. Vivienne spotted her brother raise his bat and whack a bludger right at Ferns. The Ravenclaw was clever, though; Lucius had given his plan away by screaming and Ferns swerved to the side quickly. Although it didn't put him off track, Regulus had gained a few inches on him.

Vivienne couldn't help the swell of pride when she realized that Regulus had stayed true to his word. He was going fast, but not at the cost of his control. His broom stayed steady and balanced, unlike Ferns, who was wobbling around slightly while recovering from the bludger. The race continued as they both sped towards the snitch.

The golden ball was hovering tantalisingly close to the two players. Just as they reached it, it's wings flapped and it made a right turn, flying off in a different direction. Regulus leaned back and forced his broom to make a sharp spin. By the time he was facing the right direction, though, Ferns had already made his turn. The Ravenclaw zoomed forward and outstretched his hand, neatly capturing the snitch.

Cheers erupted from the other side of the stands. Vivienne cursed silently and yanked the scratchy scarf off her neck. That had been so bloody _close_! Her eyes narrowed as she watched Regulus land on the ground slowly, and throw his broom at the ground. A few more sullen Slytherins joined him. The whistle blew for the end of the game and Vivienne was left with a bitter taste in her mouth.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"_You lost the scarf?_" Narcissa cried. Vivienne flinched at her friend's loud exclamation. Narcissa was a very calm person and Viv had never quite seen her lose her temper before. "Do you have any idea what that scarf means to my family?"

Vivienne blinked. "It's atrocious! And you told me I could take it, so I didn't think it mattered!"

"I was joking about you taking it!" Narcissa replied. She took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of her bed, with a sigh. "Viv, my grand-aunt asks about that bloody thing every time she comes over for Christmas. If she asks Bella where it is, and Bella says she gave it to me, she might blast me off the family tree. _I need that scarf back_."

"I'll find it," Vivienne promised her. "I probably left it on the Quidditch stands, where we were sitting. I'll go get it right now, give me five minutes."

"Thank you," Narcissa replied, as Vivienne grabbed her cloak and headed out of the common room. She would have to be quick; it was getting dark outside and there were only a few minutes till curfew. She pulled the cloak around her shoulders as she stepped out of the castle. Winter was coming, and the nights were getting chillier. She quietly crossed the grounds.

The stands seemed empty at first glance, though Vivienne realized that someone was sitting alone at the top. There was a hunched up figure in a green cloak, staring at his feet and looking rather forlorn. It didn't take Vivienne long to recognize him. _He acts like all the problems in the world are his fault_, she thought to herself. Forgetting the scarf, she climbed the stands to meet him.

Regulus looked up when he heard footsteps. Vivienne Rosier was making his way towards him and he resisted the urge to groan out loud. The last thing he needed was for her to shove today's loss in his face. His grey eyes narrowed once she was a few feet away. "What do you want?" he asked.

Vivienne shrugged lightly. "Nothing. I thought I'd let you know that it's your fault we lost today. The rest of the team played well and you ruined it for them." She folded her arms across his chest and watched as he stared at the ground. From where she was standing, she could see nothing but his long black hair.

"I got a good talking to from Malfoy. If I let something like this happen again, I'm off the team. So if you wanted to make me feel any worse, Rosier, you're going to be disappointed. It's not possible," Regulus replied, hoping she would leave him alone. It was bad enough that he'd let his entire team down. Now this prissy girl was going to be gloating about it. He waited to hear her footsteps walking away but instead, she sat beside him.

Regulus frowned, head turning to look at Vivienne. Her lips were pressed together tightly and her brown eyes were giving him a rather skeptical look. "You're a bloody awful Slytherin, Black. You'd have been better off in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor."

He blinked. "_Excuse me_? I lost one bloody match!"

Vivienne shook her head. He was misunderstanding her. "I'm not saying that because you_lost_. The point is that you're not _doing_ anything about it. If something's not working for us, we find another way to get what we want. Slytherins don't give up."

"I can't change the past," he replied bitterly. "And I don't need you to give me lessons on how to be a Slytherin. Sod off, Rosier."

Vivienne was offended. She'd been trying to give him advice and now he was just being ungrateful. She stood up and swept past him, angrily. She spotted the seat where she'd been sitting in the morning; Narcissa's scarf was lying right there. Vivienne picked it up and was about to leave, but something made her turn back and look at Regulus. He was staring at the floor again, grey eyes lost in thought and his black hair flying about his face because of the wind. Something inside her stirred.

"It was your turn!" she yelled up at him. He looked at her blankly.

"What?" he called back.

"Your turning! You tend to turn your broom at right angles. It might seem faster, but it causes you to lose momentum. You should make a fuller, half-circle sort of a turn so you won't lose speed. It's what Ferns did."

Regulus blinked at her, his eyes widening for a moment. Maybe she was right. He opened his mouth to respond, but she was frowning at him. "But of course, you didn't want my help," she replied haughtily, before walking back down the stands and leaving the Quidditch pitch.

He watched the small figure with the long chestnut hair walk away, her head held high. A slight smile crept onto Regulus' face. There was something different about this one.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Bloody Fanged Geraniums," Vivienne muttered, as she walked out of Herbology the next evening. She was rubbing her hands together, looking at the little red marks that they'd left on her fingers. "That big one bit straight through my gloves. If you ask me, we shouldn't even be working with these in Herbology. They're bloody dangerous, we should just study the theory and let them go."

Narcissa nodded. Her hands had little scars on them too, and she looked upset. "I know. And Lucius asked me to meet him in the gardens in a few minutes. What if he tries to hold my hand? It looks so _ugly_, not to mention it hurts."

"I bet they don't go away," Vivienne added. "And Dittany isn't good for my skin, it makes it all dry. I bet if-"

"Believe me, Rosier, it's a definite improvement to your skin," a voice called from behind her. Viv recognized it as belonging to Jones, one of the Muggleborn Gryffindor girls in their year. Vivienne whirled around and came face to face with her, feigning surprise.

"Oh, dear! I was going to say something, but that ugly pimple on your face made me forget what it was," Vivienne replied snidely. She looked the girl up and down. Jones was skinny; _too _skinny in Vivienne's opinion and she had a slight acne problem. She smiled at her sweetly. "There's a store in Hogsmeade that sells pimple-removal creams. Be a dear and go use them so that I don't have to stare at that disgusting thing on your mug."

Narcissa shook her head, smiling at Vivienne. "Viv, don't be silly. If she gets rid of the wart, people will realize how ugly her face actually is. It's a tactic, isn't it, Jones? Clever one, too."

Jones fumed, glaring at the two girls with loathing on her face. "You two are vile," she retorted. "And I would never want to look like either of you if it meant that I was such a rotten person on the inside."

Vivienne laughed. "Darling, inner beauty is for poor people," she replied, reaching into her robes and extracting a gold galleon. She flicked it at the Muggleborn, who caught it clumsily. "The store in Hogsmeade, remember? Be a dear, and ask for the strongest cream they have. You can keep the change."

Before Jones could respond, Vivienne and Narcissa started to walk away. Vivienne felt the galleon hit her in the back and whirled around to face the Gryffindor but she was already gone. Vivienne scowled, picking up the galleon and straightening up again. "Bitch thinks she can interrupt _me_," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Those Muggleborns need to be taught a lesson."

Narcissa hummed in agreement, but her gaze was fixed on something else. She had noticed Lucius Malfoy standing in the gardens, waiting for her. Her eyes widened. "Oh, no! He's waiting for me, I'm late! I'll see you tonight, Vivienne..."

Vivienne waved goodbye to her friend before moving to put the galleon back into her robes. She heard running footsteps and felt a tap on her shoulder. She whirled around and saw Regulus standing there, slightly out of breath and looking curious. Vivienne raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why did that Gryffindor just throw a coin at you?" Regulus asked, his eyebrows furrowed together. His grey eyes looked slightly amused.

"I was trying to be kind, but she was ungrateful," Vivienne replied. Her lips pursed together and she looked up into his eyes. They looked much happier than they had the previous night. "A lot like you, actually. What are you smiling about?"

Regulus' face took a slightly more serious expression. He cleared his throat slightly, before looking down at her. "Well, I um... I thought I'd tell you that you were right. About my turning on the broom? I tried it out this morning."

Vivienne felt something flutter in her stomach. He was looking at her with an expression that almost equaled... Vivienne wasn't sure what to call it. Respect? For a moment, she was lost in those grey eyes of his. She almost wanted to giggle and blush like a little girl, but she didn't. Keeping her face calm, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of _course_ I was right," she replied simply, before walking away.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – So I was re-reading this chapter to check for grammar mistakes and in the paragraph where Lucius yells at Evan to hit the bludger, I realized I had written 'The Ravenclaw was clever.' When I reread it I went "No, shit!" really loudly (and got a few looks from the other occupants of the room). Anyway, I'd have changed it, but I wondered how many of you would notice. :D**

**Do you guys think Vivienne is a believable Slytherin? Or is she just too bitchy?**

**Anyway, thanks so much for all the reviews! Any ideas or suggestions are welcome too (I know I haven't written much yet, but still.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Vivienne Rosier hopped off the train while lugging her school trunk behind her. She was excited for Christmas; mainly because of all the presents she hoped to receive. Of course, Vivienne loved all the beautiful dresses and exquisite jewellery that she got ever year, but what she wanted most was her own broom. She highly doubted it would happen this Christmas, though.

"Evan!" she called out, spotting her brother standing on the platform and waiting for her. She walked over to him, thrusting her trunk in his direction. "Be a dear and carry this for me, please?"

Evan Rosier barely flinched as Vivienne's school trunk hit the side of his leg. He was a large boy, with dark blonde hair like his father and a face that appeared somewhat threatening by nature. Vivienne was possibly the only person that was smaller than him, and yet didn't feel intimidated in his presence. Evan bent down and picked up his sister's trunk. "It barely weighs anything. I'm sure you have nothing in here but clothes," he commented.

"Jewellery and shoes as well," Vivienne assured him distractedly, as she glanced around the platform. "Who's coming to pick us up, do you know?"

Evan nodded. "Mum wrote me that she was sending Peppy, the elf. Dad's busy with some Ministry work, so he can't make it."

The two siblings exchanged a secret, but relieved look. The senior Rosier was an intimidating man, much more so than his son. He didn't consider either of his children worthy of his time. Even when he did occasionally deign to perform fatherly duties such as picking them up from the station, he spoke very little and encouraged complete silence on their part. Vivienne was relieved that he wouldn't be coming, but neither she nor Evan dared to say it out loud. "Oh. Well, then. I hope Peppy comes soon, my arms hurt," Vivienne complained.

Evan looked at her incredulously. " Merlin, would you stop whining? _I'm _carrying your bloody trunk!"

Soon enough, they located Peppy, who apparated them to the Rosiers' manor. Vivienne happily skipped into the front hall, letting the elf carry her things upstairs. She saw her mother in the parlour and greeted her with a hug.

"Well, there you two are!" Josephine Rosier said, with a smile. She hugged her daughter back and then looked down at her fondly. "Have you had a good term? It looks like you have, you've put on weight. We'll need to have that dress I ordered for you enlarged," she replied, still smiling. Vivienne rolled her eyes.

"Oh, _please_, mother. Evan's the one that eats like a pig," Vivienne retorted, glancing at her large brother. Evan raised an eyebrow at his sister, before hugging Josephine Rosier as well.

"I'm a growing boy. And she's been taking second helpings at dessert, Mum, I've seen her," Evan retorted. He gave Vivienne a triumphant smirk.

Their mother narrowed her eyes. "Vivienne! What did I tell you about dessert? You can't put on any weight. There's a party at the Vittori's tomorrow and you'd better find some way to fit into the dress I had tailored for you, young lady. No dessert tonight," Josephine ordered.

Vivienne smiled sweetly at Evan, before turning to her mother. "Well, at least I'm not failing my classes! Evan got a T on his Transfiguration test, I _saw_ it!" she blurted out, before quickly running out of the room and darting up the stairs. She heard him yell angrily after her, but she slipped into her bedroom and shut the door quickly.

"Peppy has unpacked mistress' things," the small house elf said, smiling up at Vivienne. Her school trunk was lying empty on the bed, since everything had been put into her closet. There was a gorgeous dress lying on the bed as well, and Vivienne's mouth dropped open as she saw it. "The dress is for tomorrow's engagement party at the Vittori's, miss," the house elf explained. "Mistress had it specifically ordered."

Vivienne smiled at the house elf. "Thank you so much, Peppy. You should probably go see to my brother's things, I'll be fine."

Peppy nodded obediently, and left the room. Vivienne picked up the soft, flowy lavender dress and took a deep breath as she carefully unzipped the back so she could try it on.

_It had better fit, _she thought to herself.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Not going to try one of those pumpkin pasties? They're quite nice, you know."

Vivienne frowned at Narcissa, before glancing longingly at the table filled with various gourmet sweets. But her dress was already beginning to feel a little tight around her waist. Josephine Rosier had refused to enlarge it, hoping that it would teach her daughter to stay away from the desserts. "I can't. Mum thinks I'm putting on weight," she mumbled.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "You look fine."

"Well, that's not what _she _thinks. Apparently I need to learn self-control. Don't worry; there's chocolate cake at home, and I'll get Peppy to sneak me up a piece once this party is over," Vivienne mused. She glanced around at the large ballroom, where people were happily chatting and dancing. "Where's your betrothed, then? Isn't he going to dance with you?"

Narcissa frowned slightly, while adjusting her straight blonde hair to fall over her shoulders. She had put a lot of effort into looking pretty tonight; it was the first time she would be attending a social gathering with Lucius and she was determined to give everyone a good impression. "He's talking to Rabastan. He promised we'd dance in a bit."

Vivienne nodded. She glanced around the room once more. Bellatrix Black was standing a little distance away, with Rodolphus Lestrange. She looked beautiful, in a dark dress that complimented her hair. Her efforts seemed to have gone to waste, however; Rodolphus looked utterly bored with her. Vivienne unconsciously reached for one of the pumpkin pasties, but she remembered that her mother was still around and quickly stopped herself. This was getting to be quite difficult.

"Rosier. May I have this dance?" a male voice asked from her right. She turned quickly, and came face to face with Mulciber. He was her brother's friend; one of the only ones that Vivienne genuinely disliked. He was smiling down at her hopefully and Vivienne wondered how she could decline him without offending his feelings. A plan quickly formed in her mind.

"Mulciber! Goodness, here you are! Do you know, my brother has been looking for you all evening?" Vivienne demanded, her voice mimicking a sense of urgency. Her chocolate-brown eyes had gone wide. "He said he had something very important to talk to you about, you _must_ find him immediately."

Mulciber blinked in surprise. He looked quite taken aback. "But I saw Evan about an hour ago, he didn't say anything that seemed urgent."

Vivienne looked confused. "Didn't he? But I was so sure that he said..." she trailed off, biting her lip worriedly. "Either way, I do think you should go see him again. You know Evan, he has a terrible temper. Be a dear and make sure everything's all right."

Mulciber still looked bewildered, but he nodded and walked away in search of Evan Rosier, after thanking Vivienne. Once he was out of sight the two girls burst into fits of giggles. Narcissa was quite impressed by her friend's antics. She herself would have blushed deeply and given herself away if she'd attempted what Vivienne just did. "And what will happen when he _does _find your brother?" Narcissa wanted to know. "Won't your lie be found out?"

Vivienne waved a hand dismissively. "I don't know. Evan's not an idiot; hopefully he'll understand why I sent Mulciber to him. Everyone knows he's a lecherous pig."

Narcissa nodded. She'd had an unpleasant experience with Mulciber as well; he simply couldn't keep his hands to himself during a dance. The worst part was that he'd seemed like a such a polite young man that Bellatrix hadn't believed he'd groped her. "I'm surprised, though; I didn't think your brother's friends asked you to dance quite so boldly. Aren't they afraid of angering Evan?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Cissy, please. Mulciber could get me _pregnant_ and Evan would barely bat an eyelid. He's hardly the protective type, except when it comes to his broom. Touch that, and he'll curse whoever it was without thinking twice."

Narcissa laughed. She knew that Vivienne was exaggerating, just as she always did. She and her brother cared about each other, they just didn't show it very much. But still, Narcissa would take Bellatrix over Evan Rosier as a sibling any day. He scared her a little. She glanced up, and once again adjusted her straight blonde hair as she spotted Lucius coming over to her. "Oh, Viv, he's coming! How do I look?"

"Dreadful," Vivienne quipped drily. When Narcissa's face fell, she rolled her eyes. "Cissy, I'm joking. You look wonderful. I'm sure he'll be blown away."

Narcissa moved away to greet her betrothed, and Vivienne was left alone with nothing but the forbidden pumpkin pasties to keep her company. She glanced at them bitterly. Why couldn't someone more decent have asked her to dance? Vivienne would have accepted Avery or even Wilkes, if one of them had asked. It was just her luck that the only friend of Evan's that was interested in her was a disgusting pig.

"Darling, why are you standing here all alone?" Josephine Rosier asked, sweeping over to her daughter. Her husband was talking to some colleagues, and she'd managed to slip away. "You mustn't be seen standing alone like this, it looks quite pitiful. Hasn't anyone asked you to dance?"

Vivienne shrugged. "Not really."

"Well you must go an talk to someone, then. There are plenty of young men in this room and I'm sure one of them would be happy to dance a song with you," Josephine pressed. She glanced around the room hopefully, expecting to spot one of these '_young men_' "Look, that boy over there seems to be sulking just like you. I'm sure you're perfect for each other."

Vivienne laughed, before spotting the boy that her mother was pointing at. Regulus Black. He was standing with a drink in his hand, watching the dancers quietly. Vivienne saw him nod and smile politely at someone that passed by, before resuming his original position. "Mum, that's _Regulus Black!_"

Josephine looked intrigued."Is he, now? The brother of the one that ran away, isn't he? Even better, he's the heir to his family fortune. Seems like quite a catch. Go say hello."

"We don't quite get along," murmured Vivienne.

Josephine looked appalled. "Don't get along? Whatever can you mean? Vivienne, I hope you don't make a habit of picking fights with all the eligible young men in your school! Now, I don't expect you to be betrothed already like Narcissa. But when the time comes for your father and I to choose you a husband, it would be nice if you hadn't chased all the good ones away!"

"Mum-"

"No. You go over there and make amends with him right this instant," ordered her mother. Vivienne sighed and straightened herself up, carefully smoothing her dress.

"_Fine," _she replied. She'd been hoping her mother would leave her alone so she could sneak one of the pumpkin pasties, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. Perhaps if she went and talked to Regulus, she could get away with it. "I'll talk to him."

Josephine nodded her approval and Vivienne took a deep breath before looking at Regulus. He was extremely handsome; his dress robes were simple yet tasteful and Vivienne could see that black hair flopping forward into his eyes. Her stomach twisted slightly, but she scolded herself. _Vivienne Rosier is not afraid of anyone. _

Vivienne walked over to him silently. Regulus looked up and saw her coming; his eyes raked over her flowing lavender dress and her neatly curled chestnut hair but there was nothing in his eyes to show whether he liked the sight before him. He merely blinked at her. "Rosier?"

"Black," she greeted, with a warm smile. He was a little surprised. He'd never quite seen _warmth _in her chocolate brown eyes before. Disgust, yes, and occasionally pride, but never warmth. "Having a nice evening? Quite a party, isn't it?"

Regulus nodded, suspicion forming in the back of his mind. They barely spoke in Hogwarts; the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match had been months ago, and she hadn't said anything to him since then. Why was she choosing to approach him now? "Um, yes, I suppose it is. The Vittori's have organized everything quite well," he replied. "Did you need something, Rosier? I hardly think you're here to make polite conversation."

Vivienne sighed. It was difficult to put up an act around Regulus Black; he observed everything so carefully that she couldn't quite fool him the way she could Mulciber, or even Professor Slughorn. "You shouldn't stand alone at a party," she told him, dropping the polite act. Her tone took on a slight bitterness and Regulus felt himself relax. This seemed more like the Vivienne Rosier he knew. "There are people like my mother who will try to get you hitched to their daughters."

Regulus could see a tall woman standing a distance away. She looked quite a bit like Vivienne, and she seemed to be sneaking glances at them. He turned back to the girl in front of him. "Is that what your mother is doing?"

Vivienne nodded. "Yes, and it's too late, now. You've already been added to her mental list of eligible young men; you're probably at the top because you're the heir to your family's fortune. And I'm sure _my _mother isn't the only one."

Regulus took a sip out of the glass he was holding. "I'm sorry you find the idea so repulsive."

"Repulsive? No, I pity you. You'll be flocked by insipid fortune-hunting girls and their parents. Most of them will be so stupid that you can't even hold an interesting conversation with them for more than two minutes."

_Like you?_ Regulus was tempted to ask. But something told him that it wouldn't be the best idea. And besides, it wasn't true. Vivienne was perfectly capable of holding an interesting conversation, provided the conversation turned into an argument. Regulus, however, wasn't going to be provoked into retaliating in public. "You sound as though you've seen this happen. Does your brother have to deal with these insipid fortune hunters?" he asked conversationally.

Vivienne shrugged. "I suppose. He's not as good-looking as you, though, so I doubt he'll have as much trouble." She blinked as soon as the words were out of her mouth, realizing with horror what she had said. Vivienne struggled desperately to maintain a nonchalant expression, but a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. Regulus watched, amused.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right," he replied. He normally didn't enjoy teasing others; he was the sort of person to allow a slip like that to go unnoticed, so that the other person wouldn't feel embarrassed. But Vivienne Rosier deserved what she got. "Could you say that again?"

Vivienne flushed, from both humiliation and anger. "I don't always think before I speak," she mumbled, her brown eyes turning to gaze at her feet. Regulus took a sip of his drink in an effort to hide his smile.

"No, I've noticed."

Vivienne looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "You needn't flatter yourself, Black. I said that you were better-looking than my brother. It's not much of a compliment."

Regulus shrugged, amused. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by a large figure coming to stand in front of them. He blinked, and saw a bright explosion of feathers before he realized that it was his mother standing before him. He smiled forcefully. "Mother."

"Regulus, here you are!" Mrs. Black said, in her typically loud voice. Vivienne almost flinched at the sound, but she managed to keep a straight face. Walburga Black's gaze flickered over to the girl standing beside her son. "And who is this young lady? Don't be rude, Regulus, do introduce us."

_Perfect_, Regulus thought drily. This was exactly what he needed; Walburga Black and Vivienne Rosier in the same room and he was stuck in between them. Forcing himself to be polite, he smiled at his mother. "Mother, this is Vivienne Rosier, she's my classmate. Vivienne, my mother, Walburga Black."

Vivienne broke into a smile that was the picture of politeness. In one moment, she transformed from a rude, simpering little girl to a polite and well-mannered young woman. Regulus blinked at the sudden change. "Mrs. Black, it's _such _a pleasure to meet you. My mother talks about you all the time, I believe you know her?" she asked, almost hopefully.

Mrs. Black looked quite pleased. "Oh, yes. Josephine, isn't it? We went to Hogwarts together. I must say, you look quite like her, and you seem to have inherited her charming manner."

Vivienne blushed politely. "That's very kind, Mrs. Black, but my mother always said that you were the most beautiful girl in your year. She mentions you quite often; she thinks I should be more like you, so it's such an honor to finally make your acquaintance."

Regulus blinked. _What? _It was so obvious that Vivienne was flattering his mother. Yet, the way she spoke, with the (dare he say it) humble smile and the admiring tone made it sound believable. _He _almost believed it, and he knew exactly what was behind Vivienne's polite mask.

Mrs. Black almost swelled with pride. "Well-I must- that's very kind of her," she blubbered out, blinking to regain her composure. She smiled down fondly at the girl. "I'm sure you'll do very well, dear. Clearly my son is _quite _taken with you. I've never seen him speak to a girl for so long. Isn't she the prettiest thing you've ever seen, Regulus?"

Regulus cursed inside his head as he saw the triumphant little smirk that Vivienne was giving him, unnoticed by his mother. She'd managed to turn the tables on him. Walburga was watching him expectantly and he realized she expected an answer. "Um, of course, mother."

Walburga seemed pleased. She hadn't expected that she would start looking for potential brides for her son quite so soon. But this Rosier girl was both beautiful and well-mannered, and Walburga was determined not to let her go. She opened her mouth to say something but she was interrupted by Vivienne's soft gasp.

"Oh, Mrs. Black! I couldn't help but notice your robes; are those _real _feathers?" Vivienne asked admiringly. "I heard that they're the latest fashion, but mother and I couldn't quite get our hands on them. They look marvelous, and they suit you so well."

Regulus watched his mother swell up further, slightly concerned. If Vivienne complimented her anymore, she could quite possibly explode. He watched in agonizing silence. "Oh, thank you, dear. Yes, they were quite difficult to get my hands on; I had them tailored specially," Mrs. Black gushed. She smiled at Vivienne, before turning to look at her son. "Well, pardon me, I think I interrupted your conversation. I believe Regulus was just about to ask you to dance?"

Regulus' eyes widened. He had been about to do no such thing, but he doubted he should say that out loud. He forced a smile and held his hand out to Vivienne, in an attempt to appease his mother. "Yes, I was. Erm, shall we?"

Vivienne placed her hand in his; she could feel his smooth fingers gently grip hers, but her mind was secretly dancing in triumph. She smiled politely at Mrs. Black, before nodding. "I would love to."

As they walked out among the dancing couples, Vivienne couldn't help but smirk to herself. She had won this round, and it had been simple.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – So sorry this took a while! It was getting really long. I wanted to finish the rest before I posted it, but it was getting long so I suppose the remaining will be in the next chapter. **

**Thanks for the reviews! This story is way harder than La Trahison, because my OC is such a complete bitch, and it's pretty hard to write a character when she's so annoying, though it's definitely fun! And Regulus is hard to write as well. Do let me know if you have any suggestions or concerns. **

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Regulus moved them as far away from his mother as he could get. Once he and Vivienne were on the opposite side of the ballroom, he tentatively placed his hand on her back. He knew how to dance of course; his mother had taught him years ago, but he could count the number of times he'd danced at a party on his fingertips. Vivienne seemed much more relaxed, placing a confident hand on his shoulder as they carefully stepped together.

"It's atrocious," Vivienne commented. Regulus, who'd been watching his feet, glanced up at her. He wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Excuse me?" he asked, worried that she was insulting his dancing. He forced himself to look at her face instead of the ground under them. Vivienne looked up at him; her lips twisted into a smile.

"Your mother's dress. It's atrocious. Now I normally wouldn't mention it; but as her son, I think it's better if you drop her a hint that feathers went out of fashion about, I don't know, half a century ago?" Her tone was casual, and Regulus couldn't help but feel offended. He _knew _his mother's dress was atrocious, but it angered him that Vivienne would comment on it, especially when she'd pretended to admire it moments ago.

"You're unbelievable," he told her firmly. His hand still rested on her back; his fingers had been barely brushing the velvety material, but Vivienne had stepped back into it slightly and now he could feel the warmth of her skin through the cloth. He left it there, almost afraid to move it. "How do you _do _that?"

Vivienne blinked at him. The feeling of his hand pressing into her back was distracting her; she almost wished he would pull her closer. "How do I do what?" she asked.

"Manage to convince my mother that you're some well-mannered, modest young lady when you're really a rude, whiny bitch?" Regulus asked. Vivienne frowned at him, but it didn't sound like an insult. Somehow, he seemed genuinely curious. She blinked, forcing herself to keep moving her feet in time with the music.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Maybe it's the other way around. Perhaps I'm really a well-mannered modest young lady and you only bring out the worst in me?"

Regulus wanted to laugh. Her chocolate brown eyes were blinking up at him innocently, resembling the expression that she'd given his mother a few moments ago. He wasn't falling for it; Vivienne Rosier had proven herself to be a very gifted actor."Certainly. Go ahead. I know exactly what your plan was. I'm not an idiot and I don't appreciate you taking revenge for something that wasn't my fault."

Vivienne's expression was still innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps you're a little dazed; after all, I _am _the prettiest thing you've ever seen, aren't I, Regulus?"

"Don't call me that. It's Black to you," he muttered irritably. Vivienne stepped a little closer to him and his hand unconsciously pressed into her back, pulling her even closer. He could see the long, brown lashes that framed her big eyes. She _was _pretty, there was no doubt about it. Perhaps not beautiful, but those chocolate eyes looked so innocent and naive that she could probably convince anyone to do anything for her if she blinked at them the right way. He tore his own eyes away from them and instead stared at a tiny beauty spot to the right of her nose. At least he wouldn't get lost in _that. _

"Fine, Black," Vivienne replied. She was still smiling at him. "Exactly what is it that you think I'm up to?"

"You're taking revenge, because your mother thinks she can get you hitched with me. So you decided to impress _my_ mother with your sycophancy and ensure that I'd have to undergo the same torture," Regulus replied. "It's not going to work, Rosier. I know how to handle my mother."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. The song ended and Vivienne reluctantly stepped back from him. There was a glimmer in her eyes, though and she smiled. "Perhaps, Black. But you have no idea how to handle me."

And with that, she swept away into the crowd, the neat curls of her hair bouncing behind her. Regulus could only stand there and wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne awoke early on Christmas morning, as she always did. She and Evan always sat downstairs together and tore apart their Christmas presents, making fun of the ugly ornaments or outdated clothes that they always received from distant relatives. Their grandmother, in particular, had a habit of sending Vivienne the most horrifying jewellery that she had ever seen. Just when Vivienne would think it couldn't get any more ugly, the next year's present would be worse. She'd even received the same necklace two years in a row. The woman was raving mad.

"Merry Christmas!" Vivienne greeted her family. Her brother was already sitting in the living room, tearing apart his presents. Josephine Rosier and her husband were seated there as well, drinking their morning tea.

"Merry Christmas, dear," Jospehine told her daughter warmly. Both Evan and the senior Rosier repeated the greeting, though less heartily. Evan was too busy inspecting some odd shaped object that he'd just torn out of wrapping paper, and Vivienne's father's face was buried in the Daily Prophet.

"Get anything interesting?" she asked Evan quietly, sitting beside him. Usually, she would have been loud, but with her father in the room, Vivienne knew not to raise her voice. Rosier liked his silence, especially from his children. "What's that?"

Evan blinked, looking at the long, narrow package that had his name written on it. It was obvious from first glance what it was, and Evan tore open the wrapping eagerly, revealing a brand new Nimbus. His eyes lit up. "Wow, this is amazing! Thanks, Mum!"

Josephine smiled and nodded. "Well, it was your father's idea, Evan, perhaps you should thank him."

Evan's smile fell slightly and he turned towards his father. His excited tone became formal and polite. "Thank you, Father."

Rosier glanced over his newspaper and nodded absently at his son. "You're welcome."

Vivienne found it difficult to suppress her jealousy at the sight of her brother's new broom. It was beautiful; newly shined and with the wooden handle sparkling tantalisingly. She forced herself to swallow the bitter taste in her mouth, when a thought suddenly occurred to her. She was so excited that for a moment, she forgot about her father's presence and that she needed to be careful about what she said. "Mum! Can I have Evan's old broom, then, since he doesn't need it?"

There was a short silence, before Rosier lowered his newspaper to look directly at his daughter. Vivienne almost withered under his stern gaze and she regretted opening her mouth. "What would you want with a broom, Vivienne?"

Vivienne was silent. She didn't dare to tell her father that she loved Quidditch, despite the fact that it was for men. Her face went white as her father stared at her expectantly. Words would not come out of her mouth, though she was cursing silently in her head. "I-I just..." she trailed off, breaking eye contact with Rosier and looking at the floor. "Nothing, Father."

Rosier turned his intense gaze from his daughter, to his wife. "Josephine, perhaps it would be better if you reminded our daughter that we Rosiers do not use anything second-hand."

Josephine smiled weakly. "Of course. Vivienne knows that, don't you, dear?"

_Then what are family heirlooms, Father? _Vivienne thought bitterly. But she could only nod. "Yes, mother."

Her father turned back to his newspaper and Vivienne breathed a sigh of relief in her mind. Evan gave her a quick and sympathetic smile. Reaching for her own presents, Vivienne tore open the ones from her friends first. Once she'd looked at what Freya, Narcissa, and a few other girls from Slytherin had sent her, she noticed a small box with a letter taped to it. Curious, she opened the box eagerly.

It was a silver bracelet encrusted with stones; diamonds, Vivienne assumed, if they were real. They glimmered beautifully and for a few moments, Vivienne could only stare at it. She slipped it onto her wrist, admiring the way it looked before opening the letter to see who it was from.

_Don't flatter yourself; it was my Mother's idea. You won. _

_Merry Christmas. I hope you're happy. _

_R.A.B_

Vivienne smiled to herself.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Sorry; had to make this a separate chapter since the previous one was too long. **

**Skylar Alpha, (sorry, I meant to say this before, but I forgot). You know, that story in your head sounds interesting. A girl on the Slytherin team would give so much opportunity for drama and angst, because it would be a struggle to **_**get **_**onto it in the first place and then the challenge of being accepted by the other boys. No chance you might post it? I'd definitely read it. **

**So what do you guys think? Is Regulus OOC? **

**Review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Freya Hazelwood sat alone in the Slytherin Common Room.

Curled up in an armchair with an essay in her hand, she stared down at it blankly. It was due the next day and she had finished it. But she had nothing to do that evening, which is why she found herself rereading her writing and correcting minor spelling and grammatical errors that would have gone unnoticed by Slughorn anyway.

_Slughorn. _He was why Freya was among the very few inhabitants of the Slytherin common room that night. He was hosting his annual Christmas party, and both Narcissa and Vivienne had been invited. They'd spent half the evening fussing about dresses and make-up, before leaving Freya alone to go meet their dates. Narcissa and Lucius were no doubt going together, and Vivienne had roped Gregory Wilkes into taking her. He was one of Evan's friends. Vivienne thought Wilkes was a bit of a bore, but she claimed it was better than showing up alone.

Freya was used to being left behind whenever her friends went off without her. They never did it on purpose; neither Narcissa nor Vivienne looked down on her for being a half-blood, but the fact remained that she was different from them. No matter how many times Freya Hazelwood got left behind, though, it would still always sting. She wasn't a pureblood and she wasn't rich. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Excuse me? Got a quill I can borrow?" someone asked. Freya jerked out of her thoughts, and glanced to her right. Rabastan Lestrange was looking at her. He was seated a few feet away, and for a moment, Freya was distracted by the way his soft brown hair curled onto his forehead. He was gorgeous, and she had to struggle to keep her composure.

"Oh, um, a quill?" she asked nervously. He'd never spoken to her before, and her heartbeat was speeding up as she fumbled around on the table in front of her to find her spare quill. He watched her, and by the time Freya's fingers closed around the quill, she was blushing. "Right-sorry, um... here."

Rabastan looked almost amused as he reached forward to take the quill. "Thanks. I left mine upstairs, i didn't want to go all the way to my dorm," he explained casually. Freya nodded. "Erm, Hazelwood, isn't it? You're friends with Narcissa Black."

_He knows my name. _"Yes, yes I am. Freya Hazelwood."

He smiled at her, before turning back to whatever he was writing. Freya stared at him for a moment. Vivienne had always teased her about her crush on Lestrange, and Freya had always denied it. But somehow, realizing that he knew her name encouraged her. Heartbeat thudding at her sudden and reckless confidence, Freya spoke up softly. "Why... why aren't you at Slughorn's party?"

For a moment, Rabastan didn't respond and Freya was mortified. Had he even heard her? Or maybe he was ignoring her on purpose? Perhaps she had been stupid to try and make small talk with him...

Rabastan glanced up once he'd finished the sentence. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't seem annoyed at Freya either. "Oh, I went," Rabastan answered lightly. "It was a bit of a bore so I just spoke to Slughorn and came back. Besides, I didn't have a date. There was only one girl I wanted to go with, and she..."

Freya's eyes widened. She had expected a one-line answer, not a complete explanation. "She what?" Freya asked, trying her best not to sound too nosy or curious.

Rabastan glanced at her thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I should be talking to you about this. The last thing I need is for the whole school to think I'm some pathetic failure when it comes to girls. Even though my experiences so far seem to be suggesting that I am."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't base all your experiences on Rochelle Vittori," Freya replied. She had no idea where the sudden burst of confidence had come from. She blushed when Rabastan gave her a startled look.

"What? How do you...?"

"Well, erm, people talk," Freya admitted.

"Bloody-" Rabastan cursed, frowning. He'd had no idea that even this girl whom he'd never spoken to was aware of his feelings for Rochelle Vittori. How desperate must everyone think he was? Frowning, he leaned back in his seat. "How does something like that get around?"

Freya smiled softly. "Gossip always gets around."

"And what do people say?" Rabastan demanded. "About me and Rochelle?"

"Well, um," Freya wasn't sure how to put it in a way that wouldn't upset him. "They say that you like Vittori a lot, but that she doesn't notice the way you feel about her. A few people think she's a prude," Freya added, remembering that Vivienne had called Rochelle that once. "I mean, I'm not saying that she is, but-"

Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "That's it? Nothing about me? I doubt gossip is that kind."

"Well, when the gossip is spread by jealous girls, it's usually kind to good-looking men," Freya joked, and she was relieved to see him smile. Her thumping heart relaxed. "I wouldn't worry too much, Lestrange. It's hardly the most scandalous rumour around and nobody talks about it much."

Rabastan nodded, thoughtfully. "I suppose not, but it's just... I never know what to do with Vittori. I go out of my way to be kind to her, but she never notices me. Bloody hell, I've fancied her since like, fourth year."

Freya felt a little disappointed, but she scolded herself. "Oh. I don't know her very well, but she seems wonderful."

Rabastan nodded. "She is. She has that gracefulness about her, and she's always so soft-spoken and well-mannered. She's a pureblood and she's rich so she would make the perfect wife someday. Even my Mum likes her. The only problem seems to be that she's so wrapped up in her own world that she doesn't notice me."

That stung. _She's a pureblood and she's rich. _"Well, maybe she just needs to wake up and realize that you're there. Perhaps if you helped her see that other girls are interested in you and that she's lucky to have you..." Freya trailed off.

Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "You think I should make her jealous?"

Freya shrugged. "Well, it couldn't hurt. And if it works out..."

"That never quite occurred to me," he admitted. "Thanks for the advice."

"No problem," Freya replied, smiling forcefully.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne took the glass that Gregory Wilkes offered her gratefully.

"Having a nice time?" he asked politely. He'd been nice to her all evening, but Vivienne was bored. The only reason she'd pushed him into asking her was because she hadn't wanted to turn up dateless. She was careful not to give Gregory the wrong idea about her intentions. "You look a little tired."

"I'm suffocated," Vivienne admitted. "Perhaps I need some fresh air. I'd like to go outside."

Wilkes raised an eyebrow, looking a little worried. "Right. Well, I'd offer to come with you, but..." he trailed off, looking nervous. "Look, Vivienne, I'm glad I asked you to the party. But if I went outside with you alone, it would give people the wrong idea. You're Evan's little sister and I don't want to cross any boundaries."

Vivienne shrugged. To be honest, she didn't care what Wilkes did, though it was decent of him not to take her wanting to go outside as an invitation for something more. She put the glass he'd given her down, and smiled. "Of course not. I'll go by myself. Thank you, Gregory."

Wilkes smiled forcefully at her, and Vivienne pushed past him to the door. She shot a few polite smiles at familiar faces before finally making it out into the deserted corridor.

Something nagged inside of Vivienne's chest. She'd taken a lot of care of both her dress and her make-up this evening. She wanted to look better than she usually did, though she had no idea why. It wasn't as though she was trying to impress Wilkes; he was boring. As she entered Slughorn's party, her eyes had subconsciously started seeking out someone whom she had thought would be there, but wasn't.

Realizing that she couldn't find Regulus Black sent a jolt through her. Not because he wasn't there, but because she cared so much. For a moment, those two hours spent dressing up had felt like a complete waste. Horrified at her own thoughts, she had tried to shove them out of her head.

A slip from Lucius told her where Regulus would be. He'd mentioned that the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match was coming and that his Seeker was working harder than ever to make up for the mess that had been made of the previous match. In a moment, Vivienne knew that Regulus had forgone the Christmas party to practice Quidditch.

Her shoes made an irritating and loud noise on the floor as Vivienne's feet let her down the deserted corridors and to the Hogwarts grounds. Sure enough, she could see the faint outline of a figure zooming around on the Quidditch pitch.

She took a deep breath and headed towards it.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Regulus' hands gripped the front of his broom tightly as he zoomed forward at full speed. He waited for a few moments, and then turned his body sharply, forcing the broom to turn as well. It made a sudden angular turn, and wobbled. He'd lost his speed. Cursing, he prepared himself to try again. He wasn't going to give up. He could do this.

Just as he was about to pick up speed again, he noticed someone standing near the edge of the pitch. He could make out the outline of a dress and wavy hair blowing in the wind. He had no doubt that it was Vivienne Rosier and Regulus groaned.

His mother was practically in love with the girl. Walburga Black had spent the entire Christmas holiday gushing about how wonderful Vivienne was, and how Regulus had to make more of an effort to 'woo' her. The idea of himself wooing _anybody_ made him sick, much less Vivienne. Mrs. Black's obsession had come to the point where Orion had offered to talk to Rosier senior and suggest a betrothal if it would make his wife shut up. Regulus had cleverly talked his father out of that. But he'd had enough of Vivienne to last him a lifetime.

"You're still doing it wrong!" she called out, as Regulus turned his broom and landed beside her. He fully intended to tell her to get lost, but he doubted it would be that simple. "Your turns are too angular. You can't afford to lose speed every time."

Regulus gave her a bitter look. "I know. And if you'd leave, I would practice my turns."

Vivienne smiled. She held her left wrist out, and for a moment Regulus wondered if she wanted him to take her hand. Then he noticed the diamond bracelet that glittered on it, hanging elegantly. He made a face. His mother had picked it out and while it wasn't ugly, it wouldn't have been Regulus' first choice. "I wanted to thank you for the gift," she said smugly. She dropped her hand, with a smile. "It seems that your mother can have excellent taste."

"Well, perhaps the two of you should get married then," he replied sourly. "Leave me out of it, I've had enough."

Vivienne couldn't resist the grin that spread onto her face. "Oh, dear me. _Marriage_? Has it gone that far already? Poor you. I must apologize; I had no idea that your mother would be so taken away by me."

"You knew perfectly well what you were doing," Regulus retorted. "Look, the match with Gryffindor is coming up, and I need to practice. I spent my entire Christmas listening to my mother sing your praises, so if you don't mind, I'd like to be left _alone._"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. She was a little offended, but she forced herself to ignore it. "I see. I was going to offer you my help, but it seems that you don't want it."

"Your help."

"Yes. I can show you how to do the turn properly. I was the one who pointed out what you were doing wrong, wasn't I? Or perhaps you're too proud to allow a girl to help you improve?"

Regulus bit his lip. He needed her help, he knew that. He wasn't stupid. He'd been here for almost an hour and he still couldn't pull off the turn with the right precision. But there was always the nagging feeling that if he let Vivienne teach him anything, she would never stop gloating. "What's in it for you?"

Vivienne shrugged. "Well, I never got you a Christmas present. We'll consider it even."

There was a long pause, before Regulus shoved his broom in her direction. "Fine. Let's see what you can do."

Vivienne grinned happily. She took the broom from him; if anything, it was worth it just to get a chance to ride his Nimbus. She was wearing a dress, but she'd flown in one before. Running her fingers over the broom, she carefully sat on it. "Get on behind me."

Regulus hesitated. He'd been content to just watch from the ground, but he had to admit that would be of little use. He couldn't execute the turn unless he knew what it felt like. _If she doesn't have a problem, why should I? _he asked himself. Throwing propriety out of the window, he carefully clambered onto the broom behind her, trying not to touch her.

Vivienne lifted the broom into the air and revelled in how smoothly it moved. Evan had refused to let her lay a finger on his Nimbus and she'd had to watch in pain as their mother had disposed of his old broom. She'd even wanted to dig it out of the trash, but she knew there'd be consequences.

"First off; don't turn in the last minute," Vivienne told Regulus, as the broom went higher into the air. She could feel how close his body was to hers, although they weren't touching. He'd put a hand on one of her shoulders for support though, and it was brushing her bare skin. "You need to keep a decent amount of room for your turn. Don't slow down; take it in a round motion. If you try to jerk it, your broom will wobble and you'll lose momentum."

"All right," Regulus replied, to acknowledge that he'd heard. Vivienne started to pick up speed and his other hand went to her other shoulder. He could feel her soft skin under his fingers but he forced himself to concentrate. "Just do it and show me."

She zoomed forward. The speed surprised even Regulus and he gripped her shoulders even more tightly to ensure that he didn't fall off. Just as they reached the end of the pitch, she swung the front of the broom in a round fluid motion and turned right. Regulus almost slid off, but in less than a second Vivienne had regained the speed and was heading straight in the other direction. She finally slowed down and landed the broom.

"Wow," Regulus muttered, as they both dismounted and Vivienne handed him the broom back. He took it, wondering how it was that this girl could so easily manage a turn that he had been struggling with for weeks. "Um, thank you."

"You're welcome," Vivienne replied. She glanced back towards the castle, with a frown. "I should get back, my brother will notice I left the party. Let me know if you need more help."

"I will," he replied. Vivienne smiled at him before walking away.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is where I start to push the Rabastan/Freya into the picture. What do you guys think?**

**RadioactiveDuck (interesting Pen name, btw). Thank you so much for your advice! I hadn't even realized I'd been doing that! I do have the bad habit of overusing words when I write. And even though I try to reread my work, there are things that you just don't notice about your own writing. So thank you, I'll be more careful in the future. **

**Skylar Alpha, haha, I was hoping someone would notice the difference between Rochelle and Vivienne's experiences with Mrs. Black! Personally, I see her as a woman who would be very easy to flatter, if only one would put the effort into it. After all, she comes off as a little vain. **

**Review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I need a break from all this bloody studying," Vivienne grumbled, as she and Freya headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. "I mean, the OWLs are all anyone can talk about these days. How hard can they be? _Evan _got through them, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Freya shrugged. She had to admit, the professors' constant harping and reminding them to study was getting on her nerves as well. She was stressed out enough; she didn't need anyone piling more pressure on her. Adjusting her books in her arms, she nodded. "I suppose. Do you want to go to the library this evening? We should get started on Flitwick's notes."

Vivienne made a face. "If we must. I can't wait until next Saturday. It's a Hogsmeade weekend, and if all this studying is going to continue, I need to stock up on chocolate fudge. Mum won't send me any more, she still thinks I'm putting on weight. And we should go to Scrivenshaft's too; I need quills."

Freya hesitated. "Erm, Viv, I would love to, but I can't."

Vivienne looked at her sharply. "Can't come to Hogsmeade? Merlin, Freya, don't tell me you're going to stay inside and study even on _Saturday_? I won't let you."

"Erm, no, I'll be going to Hogsmeade," Freya explained. She was still shifting her books around in her arms nervously. "It's just that I can't go with you. I, erm, I have a date."

"A _date_?" Vivienne teased. "And who's this lucky fellow?"

"Rabastan Lestrange."

Vivienne almost dropped her books. She quickly caught one before it fell to the ground and looked up at her friend's embarrassed expression. Vivienne straightened up and grinned. "Well, well. I didn't know that you had it in you, Frey! Tell me _everything!_"

Freya was still a little embarrassed as she explained to Vivienne how Rabastan Lestrange had approached her in the common room that morning. She'd been just about to go up to breakfast, but he'd been standing at the entrance to the dungeons and smiled at her pleasantly. He'd seemed rather casual as he asked her if she had any plans for the Hogsmeade weekend, and whether she'd like to go with him. Freya had squeaked out a yes before hurriedly going down to breakfast. Her heartbeat was thumping as she ran down.

But it wasn't until she calmed herself down that she realized what was happening. Rabastan didn't want to go out with her. Her conversation with him had made it clear that he was obsessed with Rochelle Vittori. He'd only asked her to Hogsmeade to make Vittori jealous and Freya was knocked back down to earth from cloud nine.

Freya couldn't quite bring herself to tell Vivienne that Rabastan was using her. She knew her friend would get mad and scold Freya for allowing herself to be degraded that way. But Freya _wanted_ to go to Hogsmeade with Rabastan, whether it was a real date or not. So she kept her mouth shut and pretended to smile excitedly.

They found seats at the Slytherin table, near Gregory Wilkes and Severus Snape. Vivienne smiled at them both politely as she and Freya sat down. "How is preparation for the Gryffindor match going, Gregory?" she asked him lightly. "We _are _going to win this time?"

Wilkes smiled. "Of course we are. Especially considering that almost everyone on our team has the new Nimbus and the Gryffindors are still inching around on their Comets and Cleansweeps. It should be an easy win."

Vivienne smirked. "Good. I look forward to the party afterwards."

"As you should."

A group of sixth year girls came and sat down a few seats away, talking and gossiping. Vivienne glanced at them, raising her eyebrows. They were gushing about how gorgeous the Slytherin players were, and how they were looking forward to seeing them in their Quidditch robes tomorrow.

"I think Avery's gorgeous, don't you? He has that strong jawline that I would just _die _for. It's really too bad that he's with that Ravenclaw girl," gushed one of them. Vivienne silently agreed. Avery was good-looking and the Ravenclaw girl was just about average. He could do better than her.

"Well, has anyone else noticed Regulus Black? Adorable, isn't he?" asked another. Vivienne stiffened. "Maybe not as gorgeous as his brother, but then again, at least he's not a blood traitor like him. I'd take him any day."

Vivienne's nails dug into her own palm and she smiled forcefully at Freya, who was giving her a concerned look.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne went down to the Quidditch stands the next morning. She had remembered to wear her green sweater, and was determined to get excellent seats for the match. Vivienne had a good feeling about this one.

Some of the players were already dressed, though Vivienne could see very few people in the audience. Most students were still at breakfast. She spotted a small group of players in green robes, polishing their brooms and tying up shoelaces. Vivienne was about to go wish her housemates good luck, when she heard a voice behind her.

"You're early."

She whirled around and saw Regulus standing behind her. He was already in his Slytherin robes as well, and Vivienne took a moment to admire them. Regulus wasn't quite as well-built as some of the beaters, but he was still attractive. "I thought I'd wish you good luck. Been practicing?"

"I have." He shifted his broom from one hand to the other. "I've mastered the turn. Even Lucius complimented me on it yesterday, and he doesn't hand out praise that easily."

Vivienne smiled. "Well, you had a good teacher, didn't you?"

"I did," Regulus admitted reluctantly. It was true that if it hadn't been for Vivienne, he would have never known what he was doing wrong. Regulus glanced down and saw that the diamond bracelet he'd gifted her was still hanging on her wrist. "Do you really like that, or do you wear it to torture me?" he wanted to know.

Vivienne looked thoughtful. " A bit of both, I suppose. After all, I should respect the gift that my future mother-in-law gave me, don't you think?"

"Sod off. I'm not marrying you," Regulus retorted, but there was a teasing smile on Vivienne's face and he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from turning up as well. He had to admit, Vivienne could be irritating but at least he was never bored around her. "I can barely stand you in school, do you really think I would consent to spending my life with you?"

"Not if your mother has any say," Vivienne replied. She was batting her eyelashes over those big chocolate-colored eyes and Regulus could only stare as she took a step closer to him. She placed one of her hands lightly on his shoulder, feeling the material of his Quidditch robe and tilting her head upwards to look at him. "Well, I should go find a good seat."

Regulus could only nod. She was too close, and he could smell some sort of perfume. He felt an urge to push the strands of chestnut hair away from her face so that he could see her eyes more clearly, but he clenched his hands into fists and kept them at his sides. He wasn't sure what game she was playing, but he didn't want to be part of it.

Vivienne smiled at his discomfort. She could see from his grey eyes that he was nervous, even though he tried to maintain a cool exterior. Her hand on his shoulder tightened, and she hooked some of the cloth under her fingers before quickly reaching upwards and placing her lips on his cheek. She pulled away quickly, stepping back. "Good luck," she told him simply, before walking away.

Regulus stared after her, the spot where her soft lips had just brushed against his skin burning. He could still smell her perfume, and he could feel the heat rushing to his face.

This bloody girl was messing with his head.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Was that Rosier's sister?" Marcus Avery asked, as Regulus walked back to where the rest of his team was. It seemed that Avery was the only one who'd noticed the exchange between Regulus and Vivienne. "Mate, she just kissed you!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow. He'd been startled as well, but he hoped that his embarrassment wasn't showing on his face. The last thing he needed was for his teammates to think that a girl kissing him on the cheek could wind him up. "So?"

"_So?" _Avery asked incredulously. He glanced around at the other Slytherins to make sure no one was listening. "Black, she's gorgeous, but erm... watch yourself. Rosier might throw a fit if he knows you've been messing around with his sister. You don't want to be on _his _wrong side, you understand? A pretty girl isn't worth dealing with Evan Rosier when he's mad."

And suddenly it clicked in Regulus' brain. _That_ was why she'd kissed him. Vivienne wanted her brother to see it and beat the living crap out of Regulus. It was a trick, the way she'd tricked his mother into adoring her. No doubt Evan would believe whatever story Vivienne cooked up about them both.

That little bitch. He wasn't going to fall for it.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Stupid Avery. In case you're interested, the sixth year girls gossiping were Gemma Prince and her friends, from La Trahison. But that doesn't really matter. **

**Skylar Alpha, yeah, Freya has had a crush on Rabastan for a while. It's just the sort of feeling you get when you see a good-looking guy that is so far out of your league it hurts. (Been there, done that.) But it's the first time she's ever spoken to him, so she was pretty nervous. **

**Samasbananas, I don't really dislike Vivienne. Okay, yeah, I do. If I met her in real life, I wouldn't like her. But she is a LOT of fun to write, way more than Rochelle ever was, so in a way, I like her more than my other characters. Glad you're enjoying!**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter! Next chapter is the Quidditch match! Do review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Vivienne Rosier was in serious danger of falling off her seat.

"Bloody idiot!" somebody cursed as Marcus Avery allowed a Gryffindor to knock the Quaffle out of his hands. Vivienne agreed mentally, but she didn't have the energy to express her frustration out loud. She'd been screaming for the past half hour and now her throat was hoarse. This was one of the most important matches of the year and so far, it was going miserably.

Slytherin was at least 30 points behind. Vivienne clenched her fists as the player in the scarlet robe tossed the Quaffle through the hole. This was the third shot Gryffindor had made in a row. "_Ten points to Gryffindor; Jones does it again!_" screamed the commentator. Vivienne felt the urge to strangle him. His squeaky voice was irritating her, and no doubt it was distracting the players as well. _"And now Malfoy has the Quaffle... he looks quite determined... oh no, there goes Jones again, ready to take it from him!" _

Vivienne slumped back in her seat. She glanced around the pitch, wondering what the bloody hell Regulus was doing. If there was ever a time to catch the snitch, it was now.

"He's seen it!" somebody screamed.

In an instant, the entire audience fell silent. Both James Potter and Regulus Black were speeding down the pitch, so fast that Vivienne could barely see them. She bit down hard on her lip as she waited to see who would make it there first.

The Chasers and Beaters had all stopped what they were doing to watch. Sirius Black was slowly raising his bat to hit a Bludger at his brother, but it never went up all the way. Before he could actually hit it, Rabastan Lestrange had snatched the bat from one of his teammates and shot the other Bludger at the back of his head.

Sirius Black went toppling to the ground, while Regulus held up the snitch triumphantly.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Is he all right?" Regulus asked one of the students who were crowded around his brother. They'd formed a huge circle around the place where he'd fallen and was currently groaning in pain. Madame Pomfrey was fussing over him.

The Gryffindor he'd asked nodded absently, not even looking at Regulus. "Yeah, it's just a concussion," she replied, before turning to glance at him. Once she noticed his green robes, her smile turned to a sneer and she moved away. Regulus didn't really care, as long as Sirius wasn't badly injured.

"Regulus! Bloody hell, mate, what was that?" a voice boomed happily. Regulus was a little startled as he was swept into a group of his teammates. They all clapped him on the back and congratulated him, while he grinned happily. _We won. _It was all still sinking in, and he could only grin like an idiot as his housemates crowded around him to offer their praise. It seemed that everyone was pleased with him and after a few minutes, his cheeks began to hurt from smiling so much.

"Well, done." Lucius Malfoy shook Regulus' hand warmly, and Regulus flushed with pride at the senior boy's appreciation. Finally, all his hard work had paid off. Lucius moved away and Regulus was left standing alone for a moment. He took a deep breath, before spotting Vivienne heading in his direction.

Vivienne had that little smirk on her face, and he raised an eyebrow as she slowly walked up to him. "Well played, Black," she said with a wink. There was something intentionally seductive about the way she let her fingers brush lightly against his Quidditch robe as she walked past him, to greet her brother. Regulus felt his face flush again. _Don't go there. _

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne smiled as she glanced around the Slytherin common room. Everyone was partying; though that was no surprise considering that they'd just won today's match. Any victory was sweet, but a victory against Gryffindor was the sweetest. The Quidditch players were on a high as their housemates all congratulated them on the win.

Lucius was showing off in the middle of the room, exaggerating how difficult things had been. Despite the fact that everyone there had watched the match, they seemed eager to hear him retell the story. Vivienne rolled her eyes. Most of them seemed to be forgetting that it was _Regulus_ who'd bagged the match; they'd been losing miserably before that.

There was a nice spread of food in the common room; Vivienne had just picked up a chocolate éclair and was about to put it in her mouth when she heard a voice behind her. "Eat that, and I'm telling Mum."

"You wouldn't," Vivienne muttered, turning to glare at her brother. Evan Rosier was behind her, and he simply raised his eyebrows. His expression told her that he most certainly _would_, and she put the éclair back with a huff. "Die, Evan."

"And that's not the only thing I'll tell Mum either," he commented, ignoring the dark looks she was giving him. He was used to them, and he knew that Vivienne's bark was louder than her bite. Evan folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at his sister. "What's this I hear about you and Regulus Black?"

Vivienne's glare melted off her face and she blinked up at him innocently, with her chocolate eyes. "Regulus Black? Oh... the Seeker, isn't he? Dark hair?"

Evan was unimpressed. "You can stop acting, Viv. Someone saw you kiss him this morning, on the Quidditch pitch. Should I be concerned?"

"I can take care of myself, Evan."

"I know you can," Evan replied simply. "I'm a little more worried about what's going to happen to _him_. Regulus obviously has no idea what he's getting himself into. For Merlin's sake, leave the poor boy alone."

Vivienne's jaw dropped open in horror. "How dare you- you're my elder _brother! _Shouldn't you be defending my honour? Protecting me from evil men who wish to corrupt my innocence?"

"What innocence?" Evan teased, as he reached over and picked up the éclair that Vivienne had put back on the tray. He popped it into his mouth in one shot, and then sauntered off to greet one of his friends. Vivienne stared after him, fuming.

"Pig."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Freya had just entered the common room when she spotted Vivienne. She was about to go greet her friend, but noticed that Evan Rosier was standing there too. Vivienne looked angry and Freya turned away. She didn't want to get involved in their sibling fights. Besides, Evan scared her a little.

She moved towards the other side of the common room. People were laughing and joking around happily, none of them paying Freya any attention. A large boy knocked into her, pushing her back against the wall. Freya hissed in pain as her entire weight landed on her arm.

"Are you all right?" a concerned voice asked. A pair of hands helped her up, and Freya rubbed her arm absent-mindedly, glancing up at the person who'd helped her. Her face flushed red when she recognized him. "Hazelwood? Are you all right?"

"Um, I'm fine," Freya reassured Rabastan quickly. His brown eyes shot her a look of concern, before he turned to tap the shoulder of the boy who'd pushed Freya. The boy whirled around, eyes widening when he saw Rabastan.

"Lestrange! Um, I didn't..." he stammered out. Freya glanced up at Rabastan's dark expression and winced. If he'd been looking at her like that, she would have been terrified as well.

"Looking forward to being on the team next year, Hobbs?" Rabastan asked coolly.

"Erm, yes- I..."

"Then apologize to Hazelwood."

Hobbs turned to Freya, wide-eyed. She felt bad for him, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say anything. He blinked at her quickly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to push you."

Freya smiled. "It's all right," she reassured him. Hobbs glanced at Rabastan for approval, and relaxed slightly when the older boy nodded. Freya allowed Rabastan to guide her out of the crowd, finding a spot where there was more room. He looked at her arm again, concerned.

"Are you sure that doesn't hurt?"

Freya blushed. She was flattered that he was so concerned about her and there were butterflies in her stomach. She tried not to look up at those gorgeous eyes as she nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you so much."

Rabastan chuckled. It was almost amusing how this girl seemed to get flustered every time he was around. He watched as Freya rubbed her arm nervously, her face heating up. "Are your cheeks always that red, then? I'm starting to think it's their natural colour," he commented, waiting for her to get even more embarrassed. Unsurprisingly, she did.

"No, I'm just... it's a little suffocating in here," Freya blurted out. "it's the heat."

"We're in the dungeons, not to mention it's winter."

"I know, it's just..." Freya couldn't think of anything to say, but she wanted to slap herself. She was humiliating herself in front of Rabastan! He probably thought she was some silly girl who couldn't even speak properly! "Sorry, I'll just- thank you for your help-"

"I was about to take a stroll outside," Rabastan interrupted her stammering. "If you're still feeling suffocated in here, perhaps you'd like to join me? I wouldn't mind the company."

Freya nodded. "Of course."

They walked to the entrance of the dungeons, and Rabastan held the door open. She ducked under his arm to walk out, when he leaned a little closer to her. "I wouldn't worry about the blush. It looks cute on you."

Freya closed her eyes as the heat rose up to her cheeks once more. Rabastan grinned knowingly.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – A lot of blushing in the chapter, huh? I know the whole 'cheeks turning red' thing is usually left to girls, but I think some guys look adorable when they're embarrassed! **

**Skylar, Alpha, lol, I don't think Regulus trusts anything Vivienne says! After seeing the way she made his mother love her, he probably thinks that she could say anything to anybody and they would believe her. But Evan's her brother, so obviously he won't fall for her pretty little act. **

**Honestly, I'm glad you guys find this funny! It wasn't really my intention to make this story humorous, but then again, nothing ever turns out the way I plan it. **

**Suggestions, anyone?**

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Bloody OWLs," Vivienne cursed. It seemed that she made a point to use that phrase at least five or six times a day; with increasing intensity as the exams themselves got closer. She and Narcissa slid into their usual seats in Potions, Freya just one seat behind them. "I bet Slughorn will give a lecture about how time is ticking away and we need to get serious about our studies. _Just watch_."

Proving Vivienne's prediction true, Professor Slughorn did indeed start off the class with what he considered to be a motivating speech for the students. Vivienne smiled smugly to herself as Slughorn ranted on about how important these exams were, and how they would most certainly regret not taking them seriously enough.

"All right! Now, we're going to start off with the Draught of Peace today!" Professor Slughorn boomed happily. "This is a very commonly asked potion for your OWLs, especially considering it's high difficulty level. I want everybody's full concentration; that means no chattering with your friends. I'd like to split you all up today..."

Vivienne waited patiently as Slughorn split up the groups of people who were the most likely to be distracted by their friends. Vivienne was sent all the way to the back, where she sat beside Regulus Black. She almost wanted to laugh in Slughorn's face. _Sitting beside Regulus is supposed to help me concentrate? Brilliant idea, Sluggy. _

It had been over a month since Vivienne had kissed Regulus' cheek on the day of the Quidditch match against Gryffindor. They hadn't spoken much since then. Studies were getting more and more difficult and Vivienne found that she barely had time for anything else. She flopped into her seat lazily and shot Regulus a sweet smile. He only raised his eyebrows in return as he began gathering ingredients.

Vivienne gathered everything she needed as well, before skimming over the instructions. _Add powdered moonstone until potion turns green. _Well, that seemed simple enough. She grabbed a large stone and used it to smash against the moonstone, slowly reducing it to powder. It was a slow process, though, and her repeated hitting of the rock made a resounding noise. It wasn't until her arm started to hurt and she paused in her banging that she realized all her neighbors were giving her odd looks. She froze, the stone still in her hand. "What?"

"What are you _doing_?" Regulus asked her incredulously. His moonstone was all powdered and sat neatly in a bowl on his table. Vivienne frowned.

"I'm powdering my moonstone. Or is there already powdered moonstone in the ingredients cupboard? Hold on, I'll check-" she began, but Regulus cut her off.

"There isn't. You use your wand," he told her shortly. The expression on his face when he saw the mess she'd made on her table was a mixture of amusement and disgust. "Are you a even a witch?" He jabbed his wand at her moonstone and it gently crumbled to powder. Vivienne watched it in fascination.

"Oh. Wow. Thank you," she replied, only to see that he was rolling his eyes. She frowned at him. "No need for those condescending looks. We're all here to learn."

"Some more than others," he muttered to himself, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. Vivienne grinned and pulled the Potions book towards her so that she could read more of the instructions. She stirred and added more moonstone until her potion turned a purplish pink. It was meant to be just pink, but Vivienne decided that it was close enough. She turned the page. "Powdered porcupine quills..." she mumbled to herself. She was meant to shake them vigorously or something of the sort.

Glancing to her right, she noticed that Regulus was struggling with the porcupine quills. Well, if he couldn't do it, there was no chance that she could. She put on the sweetest smile she could muster and raised her hand. "Professor Slughorn?"

Slughorn came bouncing over, and smiled at Vivienne, before leaning over to inspect her potion. "Ah, not bad, Miss Rosier," he complimented. "Though perhaps it's not _exactly _the right shade, but of course, this is a very difficult potion. You're doing excellently for your first try."

Regulus stopped shaking his porcupine quills and watched the exchange between Vivienne and Slughorn. _His _potion was exactly the right shade, but Slughorn had merely given it a passing glance. He shook his head quickly. He wasn't honestly jealous of Rosier, was he? The idea was absurd.

Vivienne was shaking her head sadly. "I don't know, Professor. I've been trying so hard, but I can't point my finger at what went wrong. And you did say that this was one of the most important potions for the OWLs. I want to do well, I'm so afraid that I'll disappoint you and Father."

Professor Slughorn smiled down at the girl, who looked sad enough to break anyone's heart. He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Don't you worry about that; you'll do brilliantly. Now; let's start on those porcupine quills. It's quite simple, as you can see..."

Regulus' mouth dropped open as Professor Slughorn took Vivienne's porcupine quills and powdered and shook them for her. Regulus had been struggling with it for over fifteen minutes and all Vivienne had to do was raise her hand and put on a sad face to get the work done for her! He watched in silence as Slughorn happily chatted with Vivienne and shook her quills. Once he was done, Vivienne dropped another line or two about not wanting to disappoint him and he smiled at her warmly before moving on.

"You cheated!" Regulus blurted out, once Slughorn had left. He couldn't hold in the anger of having worked so hard to do something, while this girl had managed to get the teacher to do it for her. "You're supposed to do it yourself, everyone else is!"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow at him coolly. "I didn't see _Slughorn _complaining. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that you only had to bat your eyelashes at him, and he did all the work for you," Regulus muttered. "Perhaps you can do it now, but you'll be in a rather tight spot during your OWLs when the examiner doesn't buy your little act."

Vivienne sighed, and turned completely to face Regulus. Her eyebrows were raised. "All right, Black. Allow me to put it this way. We were supposed to shake the powdered porcupine quills. You took all the efforts and did yours yourself. I got somebody else to do it for me, but ultimately, we both ended up with the same bloody quills. All your self-righteousness didn't quite _get _you anything; your quills are no better than mine. So we each used our own talents and completed the task. I don't see what you're _whining _about."

Regulus frowned at her, but Vivienne simply smiled sweetly at him, and turned away to add her quills to the potions, humming some irritating song under her breath.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Rabastan Lestrange sat in the library that evening, poring over his homework. He'd fallen quite behind, especially since Quidditch had been taking up a lot of his time. He finished one of his essays, rolled up the parchment and shoved it aside before looking up.

Freya was sitting beside him, her head buried in a book as her blonde hair fell over one shoulder. It had taken Rabastan a little while, but he found that the more he teased her, the less she blushed in his presence. It had been a few weeks since they'd gone on a date in Hogsmeade; and Rabastan found that there was something about this shy girl that he liked. Perhaps it was the way her cheeks instantly flared up whenever he complimented her, or the way her blue eyes widened in admiration whenever he said something. Freya seemed to find everything he did wonderful, and Rabastan enjoyed being with her. It was nice, sometimes, to be admired in a quiet way. "Finished studying for your test tomorrow?" he asked her.

Freya jerked her head up, as if she was pulled out of a trance. She nodded, smiling at him. "Almost. There's just this last paragraph in Transfiguration and I can't find all the side-effects of the spell..."

Rabastan turned the book towards him, their hands brushing lightly as he did so. Freya almost pulled her hand away in embarrassment, but she froze when Rabastan placed his hand on top of it, preventing her from moving it. He was smiling. "Why are you so jumpy?"

"I'm not," she reassured him. The feeling of his warm hand on top of hers felt nice. Even though they'd been on a date and he often asked her to go on walks with him, he'd never attempted to touch her in any way that implied they were more than friends. Freya took a deep breath as Rabastan glanced at the page she was reading.

"Oh, I remember this!" he said, smiling. "Professor McGonagall told us the side-effects last year. Dry skin and possible rashes, though the rashes vary from person to person. It's not given in the textbook."

Freya looked up at him, impressed. "_Really_? I must have missed that in class. That's odd, I swear I've been taking notes whenever she talks about these spells..." She shrugged and scribbled down the answer in the margin of her textbook, before closing it. "Thanks so much, Rabastan. It's really sweet of you to help me study."

Rabastan smiled. "Honestly, it's not a problem. I have Quidditch in a few minutes now, though, so I should get going. Walk down to the pitch with me?"

Freya nodded. "Of course. Give me a moment to gather all my things."

Freya put all her books away, and then shyly took the hand that Rabastan offered her so that they could walk out of the library together. He'd found her worrying over her OWLs one evening, and ranting about the fact that neither Narcissa nor Vivienne were good study partners. Narcissa preferred to study on her own and Vivienne preferred not to study at all. So Rabastan had offered to help her out whenever he could. His OWL results were nothing extraordinary, and half the time he didn't know the answers to the questions she asked him. But it was still extremely sweet of him to offer.

"Do you have any plans for the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Freya asked hesitantly, as they walked. Whenever she and Rabastan spent time with each other, it was always initiated by him. He was the one who always asked her to go on walks or to study. When Freya had mentioned this to Vivienne, she'd gotten a good scolding. _You don't want him to lose interest, do you? _Her friend had asked. _Show him that you enjoy spending time with him!_

Rabastan smiled down at her. "Why, Freya, are you asking me on a date?"

Freya blushed, and she saw that Rabastan was smiling down at her teasingly. _The more you blush, the more I make fun of you_, he'd told her once, quite seriously. She shook her head and looked up at him boldly. "Yes, I am. Do you have other plans?"

Rabastan shook his head. "Well, I'm going to meet up with a few people for drinks in the Three Broomsticks, but we could have lunch after that, if you'd like."

"I would."

"All right," he replied. They were nearing the Quidditch pitch, and he grinned at her. "I noticed how you tried to control your blush there. It didn't quite work, you know."

"It's chilly outside," Freya replied defensively. "My cheeks go red in the cold, you know that."

"No, your cheeks go red when you're embarrassed," Rabastan corrected. They had reached the Quidditch pitch, and he stopped and turned to face her. He was standing quite close, and Freya could see his brown eyes glittering in amusement. She used her grip on his hand to keep herself steady. "But I've told you before, it's cute. I don't want you to stop doing it... and there you go again!" he laughed, as Freya flushed once more. She was shocked that the rest of her body was getting enough blood, considering the amount that went up to her face when she was with him.

Rabastan detangled their hands, and lifted one up to touch her face. It was cold, but Freya loved the way his thumb gently glided over the red part of her cheek. He stepped even closer, and Freya's breath hitched as he carefully pressed his lips to the spot where his thumb had been. He pulled back, brown eyes judging her reaction carefully before he leaned forward again, this time kissing her lips instead.

Freya shuddered as Rabastan's lips softly brushed over hers, before coming down on them with a little more pressure. Her head spun; she couldn't believe that he was doing this, much less on the Quidditch pitch where anybody could see them. Her eyelashes fluttered closed, but she barely had time to react before he pulled away again. Freya couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face, and she could see that he was smiling as well. "Clearly, _that _is the most effective way to make you blush," he commented lightly, his warm breath fanning across her face.

"It is. You should do it more often," she replied, surprising herself with her own boldness. She only wanted him to lean down and kiss her again, preferably for longer this time. But Rabastan stepped back, with a smile.

"Quidditch practice," he breathed out, with an apologetic smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course."

She turned away to leave, but he called her back. "Oh, and Freya?"

"Yes?"

"Those Transfiguration side-effects I told you? The dry skin and possible rashes?"

"What about them?"

"I made them up."

"Rabastan!" Freya scolded, laughing. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him, though she tried to pretend as though she was. "What if I'd written that in my test tomorrow?"

"Sorry!" he called after her, before jogging down to the pitch. She watched him leave, before smiling giddily to herself and turning back. She couldn't _wait _to get back to her common room and tell Vivienne and Narcissa everything that had happened. Just as she was walking up to the castle, however, she noticed a familiar figure.

Rochelle Vittori was walking past the Quidditch pitch, alone. There was a grim look on her face, and she seemed to be deep in thought. The older girl barely glanced at Freya as she walked past, but Freya's heart sank and all the happiness she had felt a moment ago was dragged away from her.

Had Rabastan kissed her because Rochelle was nearby? Had the only reason he'd been smiling and flirting with her been because she was a part of his plan to make the _real _girl of his dreams jealous? Freya wanted to slap herself for being an idiot.

Rabastan would never want her. Not more than he wanted Rochelle. A tear slowly threatened to form in the corner of Freya's eye, but she blinked it away. _Don't be stupid. You can't cry over him. You knew he was using you and you chose to play along. It's your own fault. _

She clenched her fists together and walked back to the castle alone.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Bad news? There may not be another update for two or three days. I've got an exam coming up. Good news? Well… there is none. Sorry. But this is my second update today, so that counts, right? **

**Skylar Alpha, really? Well, I swear there's this scene in the first movie right after Harry gets onto the Quidditch team. Hermione comes up and goes "It's in your blood." (in her usual snooty way) and shows Harry this award/ badge thingy which had 'James Potter, Seeker' written on it. I guess I thought he was a Seeker because of that. But obviously JKR has more authority than the movies. Thanks for telling me! **

**Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything?**

**Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Are you all right, Freya?" Narcissa asked, concerned. Her friend had been acting a little odd for the past few days, and she couldn't quite fathom what was wrong with her. "You look upset, and you haven't been speaking much."

Freya jolted out of her thoughts. She'd been thinking about Rabastan again, but she didn't want to talk to Narcissa about that. She knew that neither Narcissa nor Vivienne would understand. They'd tell Freya to stop talking to Rabastan and end whatever relationship they had, if she thought he had feelings for another girl. But it wasn't that simple.

They'd had lunch in Hogsmeade, but it hadn't gone well. Rabastan had been distracted, and Freya couldn't stop thinking about their kiss. _Why did you kiss me the other day?_ was on the tip of her tongue the entire time, but the words had never come out. She turned and smiled forcefully at Narcissa. "I'm sorry. It's just the OWLs. I don't take pressure very well. I'll be fine."

Narcissa nodded at Freya sympathetically. "Of course. I haven't been getting much sleep either. I think they're affecting all of us quite badly..." she trailed off, glancing at Vivienne. "Well, perhaps not _all _of us."

"What?" Vivienne asked, distracted. She was sitting a few feet away, eagerly turning sheets of parchment into little paper birds and making them fly around the air above them. Freya winced as one of the birds hit her forehead. She swatted it away, and raised an eyebrow.

"Viv, _what _are you doing?"

"Having fun," Vivienne replied simply. One of the paper birds sat on her shoulder and began to playfully peck at Vivienne's ear. She giggled, while jabbing her wand at sheets of parchment to create a few more. Soon, the air above them was filled with chirping paper birds. "Oh, stop looking at me like that. They're adorable! And I can make them do whatever I want- watch..."

A few third-year Gryffindor girls were walking past them on the Hogwarts grounds, probably heading back up to the castle. Vivienne swished her wand and murmured a spell under her breath. The paper birds shot straight towards the Gryffindors, fluttering angrily around their heads and causing them to squeal and drop their books so they could protect their faces. Vivienne sniggered. Freya and Narcissa smiled too, as the girls abandoned their belongings and fled for the safety of the castle. The paper birds came back and settled happily on Vivienne's shoulders. "See? You can have fun while learning. Come on, let's go indoors; it's almost curfew."

The girls headed back towards the Slytherin dungeons with a small flock of paper birds twittering over their heads. They got a few odd looks from people in the corridors, but nobody said anything. Vivienne was still happily nuzzling the one that sat on her shoulder.

"You're a sweetheart, aren't you?" she cooed at the little bird. "I should give you a name. I wonder if you're a boy or a girl... Frey, does this one look like a boy or a girl to you?"

Freya rolled her eyes. The birds had been knocking clumsily into her hair and she was getting a little tired of them. She turned to Vivienne with a frown. "It's paper. They all bloody look the same."

Vivienne was a little taken aback at Freya's bitterness. Freya hadn't quite been herself lately, and she chose to ignore the slight. "Well, look who's in a mood," she whispered to the bird. "Don't you worry, darling, you're unique. We'll name you something that can go either way then, shall we? How about Twitter? Do you like Twitter?"

The bird chirped happily and Vivienne grinned. They were just about to head up the stairs to the girls dorms when Twitter flew off Vivienne's shoulder and disappeared into the common room. The rest of the paper birds followed it, and Vivienne's eyes widened. "What on... Twitter, come back! Stupid birds..." she cursed, whipping her wand out. Freya and Narcissa watched in bewilderment as their friend chased after her little flying bits of paper.

"She's gone mental," muttered Narcissa.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Regulus Black was sitting alone and trying to catch up on his Herbology homework. He couldn't stop thinking about Vivienne, and every few minutes his mind drifted away from the diagrams of the various types of Poisonous Geraniums on the page.

Something about what she'd said in Potions class bothered him. Had she been right? Did it really matter how things were done as long as the end result was the same? _All your self-righteousness didn't quite get you anything; your quills are no better than mine. _There was a smidgen of truth in her words, but Regulus found it hard to accept. Of _course_ it mattered. People who did things honourably had nothing to fear. He wasn't going to let some silly girl make him question his morals. He took a deep breath, and set his quill to the parchment when something white fluttered in his face.

"Bloody..." he swatted it away reflexively, but before he could look to see what it was, another one flew in front of his eyes. He could feel more of the bloody things poking his cheeks and getting into his hair. He flailed his arms in panic. "Get off me! What the hell?" He managed to extract his wand from his robes and jabbed it in the general direction of the fluttering objects. "_Immobulus!" _

The fluttering stopped and Regulus could safely open his eyes to see what was around him. They were little pieces of paper, shaped like birds. He plucked one out of the air and unfolded it carefully. He was just about to read the neat font that was written on the paper, when he heard running footsteps. Glancing up, he saw Vivienne Rosier was standing there, a little out of breath but with a huge grin on her face.

"Clever little buggers," she mumbled to herself, looking quite pleased. She began to pluck them out of the air carefully, but Regulus could only give her a bewildered look.

"_You _made these?"

Vivienne nodded happily, carefully gathering them into her arms. She plucked the last one out of the air, but Regulus was still trying to understand what was going on. "_Why_?"

"I was practising a few charms," she replied lightly. The frozen birds were still gathered in one arm, and she held her hand out for the one Regulus was holding. "They got a little out of control. Sorry."

"I'm sure they did," he muttered irritably. He looked down at the sheet of parchment he had unfolded, and saw a bit letter E at the top. Vivienne was tapping her foot impatiently, but he ignored her. "This is your Potions essay. Do you turn all your essays into paper birds and have them attack people?"

"It's _paper_, all it did was flutter in your face," she retorted. "Unless one of them gave you a paper cut. Would you like me to escort you to the Hospital Wing, so Madame Pomfrey can heal your awful paper cut?"

But Regulus wasn't listening. His eyes were still flickering over Vivienne's Potions essay, and she realized he was reading it. Vivienne rolled her eyes and waited impatiently as he scanned through the entire thing. "This is terrible!" he blurted out.

"_Excuse me_?"

"Your essay is _horrible! _Mine was ten times better than this, and I got an Exceeds Expectations as well! At the most, you deserved a P. You haven't mentioned anything about the origin of moonstone, and you completely skipped the entire _chapter _that talks about it's uses in different forms-"

Vivienne was offended. She snatched the paper back from him, frowning. "Don't you think that's up to Slughorn to decide? Last I saw, you weren't my professor."

Regulus shook his head, in disbelief. "What did you do, slip him a bloody Love Potion?"

"That's disgusting, Black."

"Well, you must have done something! How is it that you get the same mark for writing half the things I wrote? It's not fair, I don't..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "Actually, never mind. It doesn't matter. Because Slughorn won't be the one grading your OWL. It'll be someone you don't know and they're not going to fall for your tricks. Hopefully you'll fail your Potions OWL, and learn your lesson."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

"Well, it's the truth."

"_Fine_," Vivienne hissed. "But you should know that I fully intend to take NEWT Potions next year. I'm going to get a wonderful grade, and maybe _you'll _learn your lesson about judging people."

Regulus laughed. "That's likely. If you get into NEWT Potions next year, I'll buy you a Nimbus."

Vivienne's eyes shone. "Ooh, a wager! Sounds interesting. All right, then, if I manage to get an E in my OWL Potions, you have to buy me the latest Nimbus. I'm sure the new model will be out by then. _And _you can't tell my parents or my brother that you bought it for me."

"And if you don't?"

Vivienne looked thoughtful. "I don't know. What do you want?"

"I want you to make my mother hate you."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"I'm getting my own broom!" Vivienne chirped happily, once she'd rejoined her friends up in the Slytherin dorm. She flopped onto her bed, and saw both Narcissa and Freya give her a bewildered look.

"I thought your parents refused to buy you one."

"They did. I'm going to win this one in a bet. All I have to do is get at least an Exceeds Expectations on my Potions OWL. How difficult can that be?"

Narcissa and Freya exchanged a knowing glance.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**Skylar Alpha, I know what you mean about the movies ticking you off. In my opinion, the most horrible thing the movies did was Neville and Luna. I mean, they are such AMAZING characters on their own, but that doesn't mean you just have to stick them together! Jeez. **

**Let me know what you think! Any suggestions are welcome too!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"That can't be right," Vivienne insisted, jabbing her quill at the textbook. Her eyebrows were furrowed together. "You just told me that greenworm neutralizes the effect of the powdered fangs. So why put it in at all? Can't we just leave them both out?"

Freya wanted to groan. Her head ached, and she was tired of studying, but Vivienne refused to give up. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down before responding. "The greenworm cancels out the _poisonous _effect of the powdered fangs. Forget that, and the entire potion could become fatal. You can't just leave them out."

"But what if you-"

"Viv, _please_!" Freya begged. "I'm tired, I want to go to bed!"

"And if you go to bed, how the bloody hell am I going to get an E?" Vivienne demanded, turning to look at her friend. "The OWLS are just two or three months away, and you're my only hope!"

"Merlin, Viv, _I'll _buy you the bloody broom if you'll let me sleep."

"It's not about the broom anymore!" Vivienne cried, incredulously. "Freya, don't you understand? This is a matter of _pride_! Regulus Black thinks I'm a silly girl who has no brains, and can't get a decent grade without influencing the professor. I can't let him get away with saying that! I have dignity!"

Freya raised an eyebrow. "Well, your dignity isn't going to live very long. At this rate, I'd be surprised if you scraped an A on your Potions OWL. Can't you just concentrate on other subjects? You're not half bad at Charms, you could ace that."

"I don't care about Charms. I need to do well in Potions."

Freya shook her head, gathering her books while trying to keep her eyes open. "Well, I'm done for tonight. I'm meeting Rabastan in the morning, and I doubt I'll be able to get up in time."

"Is your boyfriend really more important than my dignity?"

Freya didn't reply. She left Vivienne sitting alone in the common room, with a growing sense of despair. Vivienne had been extremely confident a little while ago, but now she wasn't so sure. Having slacked off the entire year, the pile of studying in front of her was more than she could manage in just over two months. Even if she abandoned all her other subjects, it was a tall task.

_Stealing a broom might be easier_, Vivienne admitted to herself. But she looked up and saw that Regulus Black was sitting on the other side of the common room. He was talking to a fellow Slytherin, but when Vivienne looked up, their eyes met. His grey orbs were watching her with a careless confidence, and anger stirred in Vivienne's stomach. Who did he think he was? She could do this. Vivienne didn't lose, especially not to Regulus Black. She shot him a dirty look before turning back to her books.

"What are you _doing_?" a voice asked, sounding slightly shocked. Vivienne put her quill down, ready to scream at whoever it was that dared interrupt her studying. Her brother was standing above her. Evan's eyebrows were raised so high up, they seemed to disappear into his hairline. "Are you studying? It's half past eleven on a Friday and you're sitting alone and _studying." _

"Sod off, Evan."

Evan looked bewildered. He reached a hand out and put it on his sister's forehead, testing to see if she had a temperature. "I think you're a little warm. You need to go to the Hospital Wing, _clearly _something's wrong with you."

Vivienne shoved his hand off her face. "I'm _fine. _I just want to do well on my Potions OWL, all right? Just because you're the worst student Slughorn had in over a century doesn't mean it has to run in the family! Leave me alone!"

Evan nodded. That was more like his sister. "Never mind. You're fine." He started to walk away, but Vivienne called him back.

"Evan, wait. I want to talk to you. Sit down a moment."

"All right."

"Tell me what you know about the examiners for the OWLs. Who did you get last year for your Potions practical?"

Evan looked thoughtful. "Well, I got Tofty. He's all right, I suppose. Didn't really mind much when my cauldron exploded, and he even took into account what I did before the accident. Gave me a P. Not good, but it could have been worse. Honestly, I _wanted _Henderson to judge my practical, but that was my bad luck. I didn't get him."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Who's Henderson?"

"Father told me they used to work together in the Department of Magical Transportation for a bit, before Henderson was appointed as an OWL examiner. They didn't know each other _very _well, but I hoped there was a chance he might recognize my name. You keep your fingers crossed," Evan told her.

Vivienne nodded, smiling. "I will. Thanks, Evan."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"So how's Malfoy doing?" Freya asked Rabastan, as they walked to dinner together. Her hand was enveloped in his, and she loved the feeling of his warm skin touching hers. "Narcissa told me all about the duel with the Gryffindors. I heard he was seriously injured."

Rabastan's eyes darkened. "He was. He's recovering, I suppose, but it'll be a while before Madame Pomfrey lets him go. They even contemplated sending him to St. Mungo's. Those bloody Gryffindors. I'd have cursed every last one of them if I'd been there."

The duel was all anyone could talk about, for the past few days. Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and a few other Slytherins had challenged a handful of the sixth-year Gryffindors to a serious duel in the corridors. Rumour had it that someone had used dark magic and Lucius Malfoy had received almost fatal injuries. Narcissa had cried all night when she heard and she'd been spending all her evenings with him in the Hospital Wing. "Well, I hope he gets better soon. It's really awful. I can't believe someone would use such dark magic on a fellow student."

Rabastan nodded, though his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Once they reached the Great Hall, he smiled down at her. "Well, I should go sit with my friends. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," Freya replied. Rabastan leaned down and kissed her quickly on the corner of her mouth. He squeezed her hand and Freya took a deep breath before finding her usual seat at the table. Vivienne was already there; piles of parchment were spread in front of her instead of food.

"What's all this?" Freya demanded, moving a stack of parchment aside so that she could reach for a plate. "I haven't seen you all day, where have you been?"

Vivienne didn't look up. Her face was buried in a sheaf of parchment, and she absent-mindedly reached out for a piece of bread and bit into it. "With Slughorn. I talked him into lending me some notes and study material. He gave me a load of useful textbooks too."

Freya raised an eyebrow at all the material. "Wow. And you just went right out and asked him for it?"

Vivienne grinned. "Please. He was more than happy to give it all to me. All I had to do was tell him that Father admired him for dedicating his life to teaching when he could easily get a much better salary in the Department of Magical Education, with his expertise."

Freya rolled her eyes as she filled her plate with food. "And Narcissa?"

"Off nursing her betrothed. He's going to be tired of her by the time he gets out of that Hospital Wing; you should really tell her not to overdo it. Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to the common room. I have about five more stacks of notes up in my dorm, and I need to go through all of them."

Freya simply raised an eyebrow and watched as her friend took a last bite of the bread and gathered up all her notes. It was almost insulting. For the last five years, Freya had been almost pleading Vivienne to take her studies more seriously, yet all it had taken now was a cute boy who knew how to press her buttons.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne stared blankly into the fire. Slughorn's notes were spread all around her on the carpet; there hadn't been enough room on the table so she'd had to move to the floor. Her mind was swirling with mixtures, antidotes, side-effects and ingredients. She'd done more studying in the past two weeks than she'd done in most of her life. Her head was hurting and if she looked at another page she was afraid that she might hurl the entire lot of notes into the Great Lake in a fit.

"You do realize that staring at the notes isn't enough? You'll have to actually read them if you're going to get anywhere."

Vivienne flinched. She knew that voice, and it was the last thing she wanted to hear at the moment. Her chocolate brown eyes flickered up to him with pure loathing. "Go to hell, Black."

"Oh, dear. You should handle that temper of yours," Regulus told her. He had to hold back the huge grin that was threatening to spread across his face. Vivienne looked tired and bitter. While a small part of him pitied her, the larger part was enjoying this. For once, he felt as though the power was in his hands. It was almost exhilarating. "Clearly you sweet-talked Slughorn into giving you all this material. I find it difficult to believe that _you _wrote all these notes."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to try and make me feel guilty. If you didn't want me borrowing notes from Slughorn, you should have specified it when we made the bet."

Regulus shrugged. "I don't mind. It's not as though they're going to help you."

"Do you have nothing better to do than torture me?" she demanded. "And actually, they _are _going to help. I fully intend to make it into NEWT Potions next year so you might as well pre-order that broom. That way, it'll be ready by the time out OWL results come in."

"I'll think about it," Regulus replied. "Good luck with your studies."

Vivienne only glared at him as he walked away. _What a horrible person. _

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Yes, Ash-Caro-Lynn, since you mentioned it, Semper Vivens means something along the lines of 'Always Living' in Latin. I know. I have a cruel, cruel sense of humor. I might explain that further later In the story. Thanks for your review, but I'm slightly confused. Did you mean that it IS boring since you already know the ending, or that it isn't?**

**suttonsays, haha, I hope you're getting the rage-induced studying you wanted! By longer chapters, do you mean that you think more should happen in each chapter, or that I should be more descriptive? Honestly, the reason my chapters are so short is that I write most of them in one sitting. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Do leave suggestions and reviews, they're welcome! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Patty Harris fainted today," Narcissa announced, as she plopped down beside Freya on the couch. They were sitting in the Slytherin common room, in a nice quiet corner that allowed them to study. "In the library. Apparently she was studying so hard that she hadn't eaten in days. I had to take her to the Hospital Wing."

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "_Ravenclaws_."

Freya shook her head. "Actually, Viv, It's not just them. I heard one of the Gryffindor boys had a panic attack this afternoon. I don't blame him. Can you believe that the OWLs are starting _tomorrow_? It seems like just yesterday i was telling myself I had plenty of time."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, looking up from the textbook that her nose was buried in. "Well, maybe if you stopped _talking _and started _studying..." _

Freya looked at Vivienne incredulously. "Oh, please. I've been trying to get you to take your studies seriously for years now. And what are you studying, anyway? Vivienne, is that a _Potions _book? You do realize we have _Charms _tomorrow?"

"I'm done with Charms," Vivienne mumbled, but the Potions textbook was snatched out of her hand and replaced with a stack of Charms notes. She accepted them reluctantly, but the tiny handwriting was starting to make her head ache. She wasn't used to spending hours at a stretch reading. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I think I'm going to bed. I can't stay awake much longer." Narcissa nodded her agreement.

Vivienne started to gather up her books and leave when a figure approached their corner. She looked up and saw Rabastan Lestrange standing there, smiling at all three of them. He had his hands in the pockets of his robes. "Hello, ladies. Studying hard?" he asked lightly.

"Yes, we have been. Actually, Vivienne and I were just going to bed. Don't keep Freya up too long," Narcissa added, teasingly. Rabastan smiled.

"I won't."

Freya was quiet as Vivienne and Narcissa left, and Rabastan sat beside her on the couch. He took her hand in his and gave her his usual smile. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to wish you good luck for tomorrow. I wasn't sure I'd find you in the morning."

Freya beamed at him. She leaned forward and they kissed softly. Rabastan put a hand on her cheek and his fingers stroked her skin as they pulled away. His palm was warm against her face. "That's sweet of you. I've been nervous all day," she admitted. "I don't know if I'll get any sleep."

"You'll be fine," Rabastan reassured her. "You're smart enough to handle yourself. If _I _could make it through the OWLs, you can do it as well."

Freya shrugged. "I don't know. You're always so confident and I somehow tend to get worked up over things."

"You do, don't you?' laughed Rabastan. "I promise you'll do fine. Find me after your practical, all right? You can tell me how it went and there are some other things I want to talk to you about."

"What sort of things?"

"Nothing you need to worry about the night before your first exam. You just go get some sleep."

Freya nodded. Rabastan kissed her again, this time running his fingers through her hair as his lips pressed against hers reassuringly. Freya could feel her entire body relax. She pulled away after a moment, their faces still inches apart. His brown eyes were looking down at her with concern. "Goodnight," she whispered against his lips. He nodded, and she quickly detangled herself from him and went upstairs to bed.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

The first week of the OWLs went by quickly. Vivienne's Charms and Transfiguration both went reasonably well, but she handed in her Herbology paper almost blank. She had barely studied the subject since it had taken a backseat in her preparation. She even thought her Defence Against the Dark Arts went rather smoothly, but once Freya and Narcissa discussed the answers afterward, she realized that she'd made a lot of mistakes.

Potions was the only subject left, if one didn't count History of Magic or Care of Magical Creatures, which Vivienne didn't. As the hours left before her Potions exam slipped away, Vivienne began to get more and more tense.

"Would you stop that?" Freya snapped. Vivienne had been pacing the room for the past few hours, and it was irritating her. She had quite a bit left to study, and her friend wasn't helping. "Vivienne, honestly, i can't concentrate. Just sit down."

Vivienne forced herself to sit as she perused her Potions notes. She tried to keep her gaze and attention on the written words, but it was difficult. Her body wasn't in her control. She kept shifting and readjusting herself until Freya finally threw a pillow at her in frustration. She needed to cool herself down. "I'm going downstairs," she decided finally. Both Narcissa and Freya seemed relieved to watch their fidgety friend leave the dorm room.

Vivienne found the Slytherin common room almost empty. The fire was still burning in the corner, and she sat beside it for a few moments, trying to calm her whirring brain. But it was no use. Just as her eyelids began to feel heavy and droop, antidotes and procedures would flash before her eyes. Her mind was subconsciously trying to list out all the ingredients needed for a Polyjuice Potion. When she realized that she couldn't remember them all, her eyes darted open in panic.

_I'm going insane_, Vivienne realized. She'd never felt so worried about anything before. She couldn't even sit still on the couch for two minutes. She began to pace the length of the fireplace, as her fingers twitched. Glancing down at her hands, she noticed that her once long and beautiful nails were gone. They'd been reduced to little stubs because Vivienne had been picking at them whenever she got nervous. Her hands clutched her notes so tightly that they were a little more than a crumpled mess of parchment. _Calm down. This is stupid. You need to sleep. _

The point came when Vivienne couldn't take it anymore. Her entire body was tense. Grabbing a cushion that was lying on the couch, Vivienne pressed her face into it.

Then she screamed.

It was satisfying. Once she pulled the cushion away, her face was red but her body felt slightly more relaxed. She lifted it up to her face, but before she could scream into it again, a firm hand yanked it away from her. Surprised, Vivienne looked up into the face of Regulus Black.

"What do you want?" she demanded. He was holding the pillow out of her reach, but Vivienne was prepared to scream in his face if necessary. "Going to taunt me?"

Regulus watched her. From where he'd been sitting in the room, he could see Vivienne pacing back and forth and fidgeting restlessly. He almost found the way her eyebrows furrowed together and her lower lip jutted out when she was worried cute. But then again, it was probably just the OWLs messing with his own mind. "No, actually, I'm not here to taunt you," he replied. Vivienne glanced behind him and saw that he was holding his Nimbus in his right hand. He thrust it out towards her. "Here."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "That's yours. I want a _new _broom, Black, not your second-hand one."

Regulus shook his head. "No, I'm not giving it to you. Just for tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight. Take it for a spin."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

When Vivienne got back to the Slytherin common room, it was almost two in the morning. Her muscles ached and her face was red, but she felt more relaxed than she'd felt in months. The feeling of the cold air against her face and and the wind whooshing past her had calmed down her mind and her body at the same time. She felt like herself again.

She snuck into the dungeons quietly and found the common room almost deserted. Regulus was still there; his head drooped onto the table in front of him. He was fast asleep, and didn't move as Vivienne silently approached him. She laid the broom down on the chair beside him, and then turned to glance at his sleeping form.

His cheek was pressed against his arm, in a position that looked extremely uncomfortable. Black hair fell onto his forehead and his face was devoid of any expression. Vivienne paused for a few moments, before gently reaching out. She put a hand on his wrist, but he didn't move. Biting her lip, she gently eased it out from under his head and replaced it with a more comfortable looking pillow. His face contorted slightly, but once his head hit the pillow, it relaxed again. _Phew. _Vivienne wasn't sure why she was so nervous; she just didn't like the idea of being caught watching him while he was asleep. She glanced back at the broom which she'd placed neatly beside him.

_Should I leave a thank you note_? She wondered, but instantly scoffed at the idea. It was his fault that she was even in this whole predicament of having to score well on her Potions exam. She certainly wasn't about to thank him for it. Glancing back at his sleeping form once more, she slowly made her way up to bed.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Sorry for the long(er) wait! I intend to put another chapter up today, so do keep an eye out for that. **

**Let me know what you think! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Vivienne trembled slightly as she picked up her quill and stared down at the questions in front of her. She had to blink for a few moments, before her mind would allow her to read the first one. It was something she knew the answer to very well, and she scribbled it down happily.

The Great Hall was silent except for the noise of scratching quills and the clock ticking. Everyone was looking at their own papers; a Gryffindor boy had been caught attempting to cheat during the Transfiguration exam, and nobody wanted to go the same way as him. Vivienne sighed as she glanced at the next question. _Describe the characteristics of the Draught of Peace in detail. _ Her eyebrows furrowed together. _Detail_? Vivienne had no idea what to write. All she knew was that it was meant to relieve anxiety, and if brewed wrong it could put one to sleep. She couldn't come up with anything else. She scribbled down what she knew, phrasing it so that it took up more space.

The clock ticked as Vivienne slowly worked her way through the questions. There were those to which she knew the answer, and those which she was only vaguely sure about. One or two escaped her completely. By the time the examiner at the front of the room called out for time, she wasn't quite sure if she was satisfied with her paper or not. She handed it in reluctantly, and met Narcissa and Freya outside.

"We are _not _discussing this paper," Freya ordered. Her expression showed that it probably hadn't gone all that well for her. There was a frown on her face.

"Agreed," Vivienne replied. "Come on; I'm starving. We don't have much time to eat before the practical begins."

They ate lunch with the rest of the school. Vivienne glanced around the table, and saw Regulus sitting with some of his friends. Their eyes met briefly, but he didn't say anything to her. She wasn't sure how to answer if he asked her how her exam went. Should she be confident? What if she ended up failing? Vivienne forced herself to concentrate on her food. It wasn't over yet. She still had the practical to look forward to. If she could do brilliantly on that, then she would feel more confident about getting an E.

They all crowded into the little room where they had to wait to be called in for their practical. 'Black, Narcissa' was among the first people to be called. Vivienne wished her friend good luck, before settling into a comfortable chair. Her own last name started with R; she was going to be there a while.

The minutes ticked by agonizingly until finally, Vivienne heard her name. She bolted upright and followed a few other students into the Great Hall. A man pointed out the table to which he wanted her to go. "Miss Rosier. I believe Mr. Henderson is free. The tall wizard near the back?"

Vivienne's heart skipped a beat. _Henderson. _This was the man who'd worked with her father. Her legs trembled slightly as she approached the man's bench, but her face managed to maintain her usual pleasing smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. Henderson."

Mr. Henderson nodded and smiled. "Good afternoon. Please, take a seat. And you are Miss... Vivienne Rosier, is that right?" he asked, glancing at a few papers. Vivienne nodded.

"Yes, that's me."

Mr. Henderson looked intrigued. "Well, I believe I recognize your last name. I worked with a Mr. Rosier in the Department of Transportation, a few years ago. A tall man; I believe I can almost see a resemblance in your features. Are you related?"

Vivienne took a deep breath. _Yes, he's my father, _she wanted to say. It was almost instinct, and she bit her lip to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. _He talks about you very often; it's such a pleasure to finally meet you. _

But then her mind flashed back to Regulus. The whole reason she'd started this stupid bet was so that she could prove herself. She was perfectly capable of getting a good grade without the help of her name or her family. Her mind battled with itself silently. Mr. Henderson raised an eyebrow as he watched her. "Miss Rosier? Are you quite all right?"

Vivienne jolted back to the man in front of her, who was giving her an odd look. "Erm, I'm fine," she replied quickly. "And no, I'm not related to any Mr. Rosier from the Ministry. At least, not that I'm aware of. I'm not a pureblood."

Mr. Henderson's expression didn't change, but he did make some sort of a mark on a sheet of paper. "I see. My apologies. Now, if you would please brew for me..."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Freya walked down to the Slytherin common room, and almost ran straight into Rabastan. He had been waiting at the entrance to the girls' dorms, and he looked a little relieved to see Freya. "There you are. I've been hoping you would come down. We need to talk."

"Oh, Freya replied. She hadn't seen Rabastan since her OWLs started. Even though he'd told her that they needed to meet, she simply couldn't find the time. Once her practical was over, it went straight to revising for the next day's exam. She looked at him and saw that he seemed a little tense. "Is everything all right?"

Rabastan shrugged. "I don't know. Can we please go outside?"

Freya followed him out of the Slytherin dungeons, her heart hammering. What did he want to talk to her about? The expression on his face suggested that it was nothing good. He was walking too fast, and Freya had trouble keeping up with him. "Rabastan; wait, what's the rush?"

She grabbed his arm in an attempt to slow him down. He stopped abruptly and yanked his arm out of her grip in a forceful motion. Freya froze in shock. He'd never done anything like that before. Rabastan saw her hurt expression and sighed. "I'm sorry. You just shouldn't have touched me there."

Freya blinked. "Touched you _where_? Your arm? Rabastan, what is wrong with you?"

He shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He pulled down the sleeve of his left arm absent-mindedly, even though it safely covered what was underneath. He'd never quite flinched when someone touched it before. All the same, the idea of Freya finding out he was a Death Eater... it wasn't shame that stopped him from telling her, but rather concern. She was too innocent to be mixed up in anything like this. He wasn't going to ruin her innocence. It was what had enraptured him about her in the first place. "Freya, I don't know how to say this. I just... "

The agony in his expression told Freya everything she needed to know. Her heart sank. She'd been expecting this, waiting for it, almost, but that didn't make it any easier. "You just what?" she asked, softly.

"Whatever there is between us... it needs to end."

That hurt more than she'd thought it would. "_Whatever this is_? I see, you can't even bother to _name _the relationship we have?" she asked him, icily. She was holding back tears, but the anger was raging in the pit of her stomach. She wouldn't let him see her cry. She wouldn't.

Rabastan looked confused. "I don't... I don't know what to call it. Freya, I enjoyed spending time with you, I really did. And you're beautiful. But..." he trailed off.

Freya gave him a sharp look. "But?"

"I..."

"_Say it_, Rabastan," she whispered. It was getting more and more difficult to maintain the cold expression when she wanted to sink to her knees and cry. She folded her arms across her chest and took a deep, shuddering breath. "The least you can do is say it."

Rabastan bit his lip. "We would never work out. You had to know that. You had to know when I first asked you that... we're not... we're not from the same place. Freya, this can never go anywhere. You knew that, didn't you?"

Freya could feel her lower lip trembling. "I did. But that doesn't mean I didn't...didn't believe that maybe you..." a choked sob escaped her lips and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. She felt so used and humiliated at the same time. Her body shook as the sobs racked her.

Rabastan didn't know what to do. He couldn't stand the sight of watching her cry, and knowing that it was his fault. Guilt rose up inside of him. Why couldn't he have just left her alone? He'd known that things could never work with her; she wasn't rich, she wasn't even a pureblood. But he hadn't expected anything to go quite this far. "Freya, I'm sorry." She was still sobbing and he put an arm out to touch her shoulder but she moved away from him instantly.

"Don't apologize," she said. "After all, I'm the half-blood, so it must be my fault, right? Because I'm such an idiot. I suppose it's the Muggle blood in me," she bit out.

"It's not your blood," he tried to say, but he knew it was a lie. Of course it was her blood. Ultimately, everything was about blood.

"Then what?" Freya demanded. "Did Vittori finally pull that stick out of her arse and see you for who you really are? Actually, never mind. That can't be what happened. Because if she saw who you _really _were, then even a bitch like her wouldn't want anything to do with you."

Rabastan flinched. "Freya, don't say things like that. It's not like you."

"I'll say whatever I want. Go to hell, Lestrange. _Go to hell._"

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne was sitting alone, staring blankly into her Care of Magical Creatures notes. She honestly didn't care for the subject; animals didn't like her and she didn't like them. Even the owl that her parents had bought her when she was eleven had enjoyed biting her at every opportunity it got, until she finally gave the infernal thing away. Vivienne had wanted to dispose of it in a more... _creative _manner, but her mother had given it to some cousin of her's.

She flicked her quill absent-mindedly. It was a rubbery one that bent backwards; she'd snapped so many quills just by playing with them that her brother had bought her a flexible one last Christmas. It actually worked as a bit of a stress-reliever, not to mention a pastime when she was bored.

"Well, then? How did you do?" a familiar voice asked. She looked up and saw that Regulus was standing above her, with a smile. She shot him a dark look in return. She didn't really want to discuss her Potions paper with him.

"We'll see, won't we?" she replied simply.

"That awful, eh?"

"Why would you say that?"

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know. I simply assumed that if your paper had gone well, you would have come to me and gloated about it instead of waiting for me to find you. I suppose I can cancel that order for the broomstick, then?"

"I wouldn't be too hasty," she said. Her heart panged when she thought about the beautiful Nimbus that she might or might not get within a few months. She could only keep her fingers crossed. She smirked up at him. "As a matter of fact, once I get that broom from you, I think I'll talk to your mother again. This time, I may just convince her that I would make a wonderful bride. Perhaps she'll even force you to propose to me?"

Regulus looked shocked, but he quickly composed himself. "As if."

"What? You don't think I could do it?" she asked, teasingly. She stood up, and walked over to him so that they were only inches apart. His grey eyes looked a little panicked, but he stood his ground. Vivienne enjoyed the control she had over him. It was funny, how embarrassed he looked. Perhaps he was remembering the time she'd kissed him on the cheek. "Believe me, Black, I can make anyone do _anything_."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Vivienne nodded. She leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. The OWLs had robbed her of a lot of her confidence, and she needed to feel in control once again. Not to mention that Regulus looked adorable, with his mouth slightly open. She wondered what he would do if she kissed him. The way his eyes were fixed on her lips, she was confident that he was at least a little attracted to her.

Regulus couldn't believe how close she was. They were standing in the middle of the common room, yet she was looking at him with those big chocolate brown eyes and biting her lip innocently. He felt a sudden urge to pull her closer and kiss her, but his mind stopped him. He knew that she was playing some sort of a game; if he did that, it would mean that he'd lost. He forced himself to stay stiff as Vivienne's fingers trailed over his collar bone and her eyes fixed on his mouth. "What are you doing, Rosier?"

Vivienne smiled. "I don't know, Black. Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes, it does. You're in my breathing space," he choked out, putting his hands on her upper arms. For half a second, Regulus contemplated pulling her towards him and kissing her senseless. He didn't give a damn who won, he just wanted to wipe that smirk off her face. But he forced himself to remain calm and pushed her away to a safe distance. "I thought you had a little more self-control than that, Rosier."

Vivienne's smirk dropped. She shot him a dirty look, and was about to bite out a sharp remark when she saw something that stopped her. Freya had just entered the common room, her hand covering her mouth as her shoulders shook. She was crying. Vivienne's eyes widened as she watched her sobbing friend dart up the stairs to the girls' dorms. "Erm, I have to go," she muttered. Regulus nodded still trying to compose himself.

He watched as Vivienne disappeared, and ran a hand over his face. Bloody hell.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Phew! This took longer than I thought. Sorry. **

**Honestly, Vivienne didn't care much about her other OWLs. She only wanted to do Potions well, because it was a matter of getting herself a broom and also pride. Obviously she's got a bit of an ego battle going on with Regulus and she doesn't want to lose that. **

**You know what's funny? Freya was (sort of) a negative character in La Trahison and now in Semper Vivens, Rochelle is coming off as the negative character. It's hard for me to show Rochelle in such a bad light, but I think that's the way Freya and her friends would see her. **

**Let me know what you think! Review! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 (Summer)**

"What's this I'm hearing about Regulus Black?" was the first thing that Josephine Rosier asked her daughter, when Vivienne walked into the Rosiers' home. Vivienne's eyes widened and she whirled around to face her older brother.

"You _told _Mum?" she demanded. Evan had an triumphant smile on his face. She lunged forward to hit him, but he restrained her with a simple flick of his wand. _Damn. _She kept forgetting that he was seventeen already. Vivienne turned back to her mother, who had raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Tell me more about Regulus Black."

"Who's he?" Vivienne asked, with an innocent smile. She tried to push past into the living room, but Josephine stood in the doorway.

"Dear me. If you're pretending not to know him, then it must be more serious than I thought. Perhaps your father should be present for this conversation as well?"

"No! _Don't _tell father!"

Josephine smiled, but didn't press the topic any further. Vivienne's reaction had only confirmed what she already knew; that there was something going on between her daughter and the youngest Black boy.

Josephine had never worried about finding her daughter a good match. Vivienne was pretty, and although she had a tendency to talk a little too much and throw the occasional tantrum, she also knew how to behave in society. Vivienne could bat her eyelashes and flatter even the most unbearable people. Josephine had high hopes for her daughter's suitors and Regulus Black did not disappoint. The moment Evan had suggested that there might be something going on between them, Josephine had gone to her husband.

The senior Rosier was a man who both said and felt little. He'd listened quietly to his wife's suggestions of how Regulus Black would make a good match for his daughter. Unsurprisingly, he'd heard the boy's name himself. Black was one of the teenagers who was expected to join the Dark Lord's ranks; perhaps even receive his own Mark. Rosier wanted to see how the boy turned out. He had decided to keep an eye on him; to determine whether the boy was worthy of having a Rosier for a bride. His wife had been happy, and the matter was settled. Perhaps in a few months, the Blacks could be approached with suggestions of a betrothal. provided the boy was as clever as everyone seemed to think he was.

"Mum! Can we go shopping in Diagon Alley tomorrow? I haven't bought a dress for Royce Vittori's wedding yet, and it's in a few weeks!" Vivienne called out. She'd just finished unpacking her trunk with Peppy's help and came down to find her mother and brother having tea. "Remember, I told you about that gorgeous fabric I saw in Twillfit and Tattings? I hope no one's taken it..."

Josephine looked up. "Oh, dear, I can't take you tomorrow. I'm going over to Mrs. Demerol's. She's invited a few people over for lunch, and it would be quite rude if I didn't go. Why don't you ask your brother if he'll go with you?"

Evan snorted. "That's likely."

"Don't be rude to your sister, Evan."

"Well, even if I _wanted _to, which I don't, I'm busy as well," replied Evan. "I'm having a few friends over tomorrow. Perhaps you'd like to stay home, Vivienne? I believe your boyfriend will be joining us."

Vivienne made a face at her brother before sitting down at the table. She reached out for a cake, but her mother pushed her hand away. "He's not my boyfriend. And since when are you _friends _with Black, anyway? Or are you just inviting him in the hopes that it'll bother me?"

Evan shrugged. "Lucius thinks your little boyfriend shows potential."

"Potential for what?" Vivienne demanded. Evan rolled his eyes and groaned out loud.

"Merlin, do I have to explain _everything _to you? Find someone else to take you into Diagon Alley. And while you're at it, stay out of my way tomorrow. The last thing I need is my little sister hanging around me. I'll become the laughing stock of Slytherin."

"You did that yourself; when you groped Bellatrix Black and she slapped you in the face."

Josephine's eyes widened at her son. "_Evan_!"

"She's lying, Mum!"

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne loved the feeling of being in her own bed. The four-posters at Hogwarts were awful; not to mention they'd been around for years and years. It made Vivienne shudder to think of the number of people that had slept in that bed before her. Besides, nobody ever bothered to wake her up while she was at home. She could sleep in until afternoon and her family probably wouldn't notice a thing.

By the time Vivienne woke up, her body was stiff from being in bed so long. She glanced at the huge clock that hung in her room and saw that it was almost eleven. _I hope Peppy hasn't cleared breakfast away yet._ She got up, threw on a robe and headed downstairs as her tummy rumbled. She was still a little drowsy, and almost fell down the stairs in her clumsiness. She caught hold of the railing in time, and straightened herself.

"Peppy!" Vivienne called, once she reached the living room. The house was silent; no doubt her father was off at work and her mother was out at her lunch. And hadn't Evan said something about meeting some friends? Vivienne was too drowsy to remember. She pulled her robe around her more tightly when the house elf didn't respond. "Peppy, are you there?"

Vivienne had just sat on the couch when the small house elf apparated into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Vivienne. "Miss..."

"There you are!" Vivienne muttered, a little annoyed. "I don't suppose there's any breakfast left? Or at least coffee? Merlin, my head aches something awful... I shouldn't have slept for so long. Honestly, at this point, just about anything edible will do. "

Peppy was still staring at Vivienne in horror. "Miss isn't dressed yet!"

_Stupid elf, doesn't she listen to a word I say? _"I know, Peppy. I'll get dressed after I _eat_, which I can only do if there is food. Am I speaking slowly enough for you?"

"But miss must go upstairs and get dressed first!" Peppy insisted, shaking her head. "Miss cannot be seen in her nightclothes at this time of day!"

Vivienne wanted to bang her head against the wall. All she wanted was something to eat, was that so difficult to get around here? Fine. If the bloody elf wasn't going to feed her, she would go get breakfast herself. She got up from the couch and was about to storm into the kitchen when she heard the sound of voices and laughter.

Vivienne froze and turned to the elf. "Peppy, is there someone in the house?"

Peppy nodded furiously. "Yes, miss! Master's friends were out in the garden, but they are coming indoors now! Miss must get dressed quickly!"

But it was too late. The voices got louder even as Vivienne moved to sprint up the stairs. They fell silent as the group of boys that appeared took in the sight of Vivienne standing there in her short pink robe and fuzzy slippers, with hair that was sticking up in all directions. _Bloody hell_. Vivienne cursed in her head, trying not to look embarrassed. It would only make things worse if they knew that all the blood was rushing to her face.

Mulciber was leering at her openly, the disgusting pig. Vivienne shot him a dirty look. At least the others; Malfoy, Avery, Lestrange and Snape; had the decency to look a little embarrassed. Vivienne couldn't decipher the look on Regulus' face, but she didn't let her eyes linger on him long. "Morning," she said to them politely, as though she didn't feel completely humiliated. "Having a nice day?"

Evan gave his sister a dirty look. "We're fine. Go upstairs."

Vivienne didn't argue. She quickly sprinted up the stairs and ran into her room, face flushing. Merlin, she'd just embarrassed herself in front of half the pureblood boys in Slytherin! Why did Evan have to have his friends over on the day she was such a mess? She yanked open her closet, and quickly got dressed.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Still recovering from her embarrassment, Vivienne stayed upstairs for most of the day. She lounged around her room, bored, until she finally glanced out of her window and saw that the boys were playing Quidditch.

"I think I preferred you in this morning's attire," Mulciber commented. Vivienne had come downstairs and seated herself in the corner of the garden with a book. Of course, the book was just a pretence. She was actually watching the Quidditch match eagerly. It had been Evan's idea to have the goalposts put up in the Rosiers' back garden. It was large enough; perhaps not quite the size of the Hogwarts pitch, but sufficient for a small group to play. Vivienne raised her eyebrows at Mulciber.

"Did you?" she asked coolly. She barely turned her eyes away from the boys that were playing. Lestrange had the Quaffle. "Funny. I wonder what my brother would think if he heard you say that."

Mulciber cleared his throat. "I'm sure he'd see nothing wrong in admiring a beautiful girl."

Vivienne wanted to gag. Even the most innocent compliment could sound lecherous coming from Mulciber. Vivienne slowly lowered her book and smiled politely. "You know; I do think Evan is calling you back. Don't they need you in the game?"

Mulciber shook his head. "No, not really. We're an odd number, so someone had to sit out. I volunteered, since I thought I could keep you company."

_How do I get rid of him_? Vivienne wondered. She couldn't come up with anything. And the sun was so nice where she was sitting, she didn't quite want to get up and leave. She fanned herself with the book and then smiled sweetly at him. "Mulciber, it's so terribly hot. Would you be a darling and get me a glass of water from inside?"

Mulciber grunted. "Don't you have a house elf?"

"Yes, but I've asked her to clean some things in my room, and I don't want to distract her. I'd get it myself, but it's so _comfortable _here that I'm not quite ready to get up. Please, dear?" she batted her eyelashes at him innocently and he sprung to his feet.

"Of course."

"Oh, and add some ice, please? And a slice of lemon?"

Mulciber nodded eagerly. "I'll be back in a moment."

_Take your time_. Vivienne tossed the book aside and wondered how long she had before he would come back. Considering the fact that there was no lemon in the house, it would probably be quite a while. Josephine Rosier had a mild citrus allergy and she forbid keeping any lemons or oranges in the house. Vivienne leaned back. With Mulciber's tiny brain and a bit of luck, he would be there for most of the afternoon.

The game went on for a few more minutes, and Vivienne watched the boys zoom around. After a while, they all landed on the ground. Looking sweaty and tired, most of them headed for the kitchen to get a drink. Vivienne smiled at her brother. "Evan?"

Evan raised an eyebrow when he saw her lounging in the corner. "What?"

"Don't tell Mulciber where the lemons are."

"But we don't have..." he trailed off, frowning. "Honestly, Viv, it's not funny when you fool my friends. Didn't I tell you to stay out of my way?"

Vivienne pouted. "But I'm just watching!"

Evan rolled his eyes and left. Vivienne leaned back happily in her chair and stretched her legs out. Lestrange, Snape and Avery were spread out on the grass a little distance away. Vivienne might have greeted them, but she chose to stay away. Both Vivienne and Narcissa had been giving Rabastan the cold shoulder ever since he'd hurt Freya. Then again, neither of them were sure that he'd even noticed their treatment of him.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself a little too much," Regulus Black commented. Vivienne looked up. He'd pulled a chair over and sat next to her. He looked a little sweaty, and his skin seemed more tanned than usual. Vivienne noticed that he'd undone the top few buttons of his shirt for comfort. She cleared her throat and looked away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied. "Can't you just go help Mulciber look for lemons in the kitchen?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, never mind."

Regulus raised an eyebrow, but left it. He leaned back, stretching slightly and Vivienne couldn't help but stare at him. He wasn't stocky or well-built like Evan, but he was muscular in a lean sort of way. Vivienne could see the lines in his arms and shoulders. He noticed her staring, and smiled a little.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked lightly.

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "No, I'm wondering what you're doing here."

"Here as in your house, or next to you?"

Vivienne shrugged. "Both, I suppose. Since when are you one of my brother's friends? I mean, I know you're on the Quidditch team, but I didn't realize they'd let you into their inner circle. Everyone else here is a sixth year going into their seventh. You're the only one who just passed fifth year. You must have done something special."

"It's nothing to do with you, if that's what you're asking," Regulus replied lightly. "Although your brother _does _seem to be under the mistaken impression that there is something going on here."

"Don't divert the topic."

Regulus looked a little uncomfortable, as though he wasn't sure how much to say. "Let's just say that I showed interest in some things they were doing, and erm, they thought I had the right credentials."

Vivienne laughed. It was almost funny how innocent Regulus seemed to think she was. He looked a little startled at her reaction. "Merlin, Black. If you're planning to join the Dark Lord, then just _say _so. You don't have to act like it's some sort of a secret. In fact, you should take pride in joining a noble cause."

"I _am _proud. But I don't want to be too hasty, I'm not... well, I haven't _officially _joined yet. I still need to establish myself," he said quickly. Then he leaned back. "Now can we talk about why your brother thinks there's something going on between you and me?"

Vivienne shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps you've been daydreaming about me and he caught you?"

"Fat chance, Rosier."

Vivienne ignored him and turned away. She grabbed her book and pretended to be engrossed in it. Regulus stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "Fine. I can take a message. Have a nice day, Rosier."

"You too, Black."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Regulus Black had just woken up and was about to get dressed when there was a familiar tapping noise at his window. He yanked the curtain aside and opened it, letting the owl in. It was unfamiliar; a pretty little brown thing that flew in and settled happily on top of his own owl's cage without invitation.

"Who do you belong to?" he mused out loud. He reached up to pet it, but it only gave him a sharp nip and glared at him. Regulus frowned and instead moved to untie the letter. Once he saw the name of the sender on the envelope, he almost wanted to laugh. "So, you're Vivienne's owl, are you? No wonder you just bit me. I bet she's a terrible owner, isn't she?"

The owl hooted as if she could understand him, and allowed him to stroke her head this time. Regulus tossed it a treat before turning to the letter. Why on earth would Vivienne voluntarily write to him? Curious, he ripped it open and unfolded the small note.

_Black,_

_My Mum is forcing me to write to you. You're on her list of potential suitors, so don't feel special. There are others too. Either way, she wants me to subtly hint that I'd like you to take me into town today. Normally I wouldn't even write to you, but there's a huge dark chocolate truffle cake in the kitchen, and I'm not allowed to touch it until I do. Do me a favour and just write a polite note back with a reasonable excuse saying no so I can show it to her? _

_Thanks,_

_Vivienne Rosier _

Regulus couldn't hold back a smile. _Dark chocolate truffle cake. _Merlin, Vivienne Rosier could be such a child sometimes. He remembered the way he'd seen her yesterday morning; in her robe and slippers, with hair all over the place. It had taken Regulus all his will not to laugh. She'd had that expression on her face- the one which showed that she was embarrassed, but too proud to admit it. Regulus glanced at the clock and saw that it was just half past seven. He grabbed a quill and a fresh sheet of parchment.

_Vivienne,_

_It would be my pleasure to take you out to lunch around noon today, with the permission of your parents. Do write back with your response. I await it eagerly. _

_Regulus_

He tied the note to Vivienne's owl and smiled to himself. No doubt Vivienne would have to show this letter to her mother, and he would come off looking as the perfect gentleman. He couldn't wait to see the expression on her face; it was worth spending an entire afternoon with her for. Once the owl had flown away, he got dressed. He was just about to go down to breakfast when Vivienne's owl returned. This time, the letter had only one word.

_Bastard. _

Regulus grinned and tossed it aside before going downstairs.

"Good morning," Mrs. Black greeted Regulus at the breakfast table. He smiled at his mother and sat down opposite her. Kreacher came up to fill his plate. "Do you have any plans for today, Regulus?" his mother asked. "I was hoping to do some shopping in Diagon Alley today; perhaps you'd like to come along?"

Orion Black gave his son a small smile. He knew that shopping with his wife was both tedious and torturous. Luckily, Regulus was prepared. "That sounds wonderful, Mother, but I can't. I've been invited to lunch today."

Walburga looked mildly disappointed. "Oh. I was so hoping to have your company. And you just went to the Rosiers' yesterday. Tell me, did you see Vivienne, there?"

"Merlin, not that girl again!" Orion Black groaned. He was sick and tired of hearing about this Vivienne Rosier. His wife's doting needed to stop. "Walburga, I'm sure she's a wonderful girl. But if her name comes up once more at this table, I may have to start eating my meals in my study."

Mrs. Black gave her husband an indignant look, and turned back to her son. "All right, I won't talk about her. But I do hope you plan to write her over the summer, Regulus. I would hate for the Lestranges or some other atrocious family to sweep a dear girl like her up because you've been careless."

"_Walburga._"

"All right, I'm done!"

Regulus smiled into his food. Luckily his mother was too busy fussing over a stain on the tablecloth to catch it, but Orion Black noticed the way his son's expression changed slightly whenever the girl was mentioned. There was certainly something there.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Miss!" Peppy squeaked, as she quickly entered Vivienne's room. Vivienne was fixing her hair in the mirror with a frown on her face. She dropped the hairbrush and whirled around to face the house elf.

"What do you want, Peppy?" she snapped.

Peppy flinched. "Peppy is sorry for disturbing miss. Peppy only wanted to tell miss that Master Black is downstairs waiting for her."

Vivienne sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not in a very good mood. Do tell Black that I'll be down in a few minutes. Considering he's just ruined my day, the least he can do is wait for me to get dressed."

Peppy bowed and left the room, while Vivienne turned back to the mirror. She'd had half a mind to just stay in her nightclothes all day; it would have been embarrassing, but perhaps a fitting revenge for Regulus. Of course, her mother had forbidden it. Josephine Rosier was determined that her daughter should be on her best behavior today. She'd supervised everything; even picking out the dress that Vivienne was to wear to lunch. Vivienne's mother was probably downstairs at the very moment, talking to Regulus.

Her widened in realization. _Bloody hell, she's talking to him! _Filled with a sudden dread at what either of them might say to the other, she quickly slipped her earrings into her ears and rushed downstairs. Just as she'd thought, she found Regulus standing and talking to her mother politely. They both looked up as she entered. "Regulus," Vivienne greeted, with a fake smile. "I'm terribly sorry I took so long."

Regulus smiled in return. He was perfectly capable of pretending; Vivienne Rosier wasn't the only one who could act sweet in company. "Oh, that's perfectly all right. It was worth the wait. You look beautiful."

Vivienne tried not to look embarrassed. She knew that it was just an act for her mother, but he sounded quite convincing. She nodded and stood beside him politely. "That's very kind. Shall we be going?"

Regulus nodded, before turning to Josephine Rosier. Vivienne's mother was watching the two of them with a large smile on her face. "Well, isn't this sweet. It was wonderful to meet you Regulus; do bring Vivienne back safely. But you seem like such a responsible boy that I hardly feel the need to say that."

Regulus smiled charmingly. "Of course, Mrs. Rosier, you needn't worry about that. It was very kind of you to allow me to take Vivienne out for lunch, today."

"Of course," Josephine Rosier's eyes twinkled as she smiled at them. "Do enjoy yourselves, now."

Vivienne forced another smile and took Regulus' arm as they left the mansion, purposefully digging her nails into his skin. He barely flinched. Once they were outside the gates, she whirled around and glared at him. "Why are you doing this? And how the bloody hell did you get my Mother to like you so much?"

Regulus grinned. "Well, I learned a thing or two from watching you, dear Vivienne."

Vivienne's face fell as she turned away.

_Merlin, it's my own fault. I've corrupted him. _

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

As they arrived outside the restaurant, Vivienne raised an eyebrow at the sign. It seemed like a very fancy and expensive place, but she'd never seen or heard of it before. It was surprising; she'd assumed that she'd been to all the expensive Wizarding restaurants. It wasn't as if there were very many. "Black, where are we?"

Regulus shrugged, taking Vivienne's arm again as they walked inside. "I don't know. It's some small Muggle town, I forget the name. Does it matter?"

"This is a _Muggle restaurant_?"

Regulus turned to Vivienne, looking surprised. "Well, what did you think? I could hardly have taken you to some fancy Wizarding place; what if we'd been seen? The plan today was to torture you, not myself."

Vivienne paused. "I still don't understand."

Regulus sighed, as a man held open the door for both of them at the entrance. He shot him a polite smile and then turned back to Vivienne. "Honestly, Rosier, do I have to explain _everything_? If I took you to a Wizarding restaurant, we'd have been seen. My Mum's in Diagon Alley today, she might have spotted us, or one of her gossiping friends. Do you know what would happen to me at home if she found out I was taking you to lunch?"

"She'd be pleased?" Vivienne guessed lightly, but she was understanding his reasoning.

"A little _too _pleased. She'd start picking out flowers for our wedding. And honestly, I don't want to get her hopes up. In a matter of a few months, you're going to make her hate you. She's my mother, so I plan to soften the blow as much as I can for her."

Vivienne pursed her lips. "You sound awfully confident."

Regulus only smiled as he spoke to the waiter and they were led to a nice table at the end of the room. Vivienne glanced around curiously. She'd never been to a Muggle... well, a Muggle _anything _before.Her family would have thrown a fit if they knew where she was. But honestly, she couldn't quite see anything special. The only difference she could make out was that the lights were stuck to the ceiling and not floating in the air. And the trays of dishes which floated unsupported from table to table were missing. She settled into the chair opposite Regulus. "This place is boring."

"Good. You weren't meant to enjoy today; I only asked you here because I thought it would torture you more than it did me," Regulus replied simply, as he politely took the menu from the waiter. The man was giving the two of them an odd look.

Vivienne snatched the menu from the waiter quite rudely. He raised an eyebrow and left. "Where did you even find this dreadful thing? A Muggle restaurant in the middle of nowhere? I wasn't aware you frequented this sort of place."

Regulus shrugged. "My Uncle Alphard brought me here when I was younger. That was before he died and Mother blasted him off the family tree posthumously for leaving all his money to my brother."

"How charming."

Regulus shrugged and turned his attention down to the menu, reading it carefully. Vivienne, however, barely glanced at it. She sipped her glass of water and watched Regulus with interest. "You know, you never talk about your brother."

Regulus stiffened. He looked up, his grey eyes suddenly losing their playfulness and watching her with a new sort of intensity. Vivienne almost recoiled under the sharpness of his gaze. "I don't see why I should talk to you about _anything_, Rosier."

"Oh, don't you?" she asked sweetly. "Shall we count? You blatantly ignored my plea for help and forced me to come out to lunch with you, giving me no other option and in the meanwhile flattering my mother who made me spend _four hours _this morning getting dressed for you. And now that I've come outside I find that you've brought me to a _Muggle _restaurant. The least you can do is provide interesting conversation."

Regulus raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down."Really? _Four hours_? Doesn't quite seem like it."

Vivienne flushed red and he watched as she fisted the fork that was lying in front of her. "I'm sure it will when this is sticking out of your neck. Fitting isn't it? Meeting a Muggle death in a Muggle restaurant?"

"Well. You're not a great person, Rosier, but even I don't think you're capable of murder," Regulus replied, gently wrenching the fork out of her grasp and replacing it on the table. He smiled as the waiter came up to them. "Are you ready to order, then?"

Vivienne simply picked the last thing on the menu; she noticed that most of the dishes were priced from low to high and she decided that the least she could do was rack up the bill for him. Even though she didn't quite know how much Muggle money was worth, this place looked expensive even by Wizarding standards. Once the waiter was gone, she noticed that Regulus was watching her curiously.

"Well, then. What do you want to know about my brother?"

Vivienne almost spit out the sip of water she'd taken. Honestly, she hadn't expected Regulus to say anything about Sirius Black. "Erm, really? I don't know. I just thought it was a touchy subject and I was hoping to piss you off."

Regulus shrugged. "It's not a _touchy subject_. I just don't like to talk about it because people treat anything I say as gossip. Especially somebody like you. You'd go blabbing about anything I said to the whole school."

"I don't blab, I gossip," Vivienne huffed. "And besides, your brother is old news. Nobody really cares anymore. The talk of the town is Royce Vittori's wedding this summer- he's marrying some Italian girl. I met her at the engagement, she can't speak a _word _of English."

Regulus nodded. "Oh, I know. My mother keeps talking about it. For some reason, she can't stand Rochelle Vittori. It's probably because she was to be betrothed to my brother. But she seems nice."

"Prude," Vivienne coughed into her glass before smiling politely. "Are you going to the wedding, then? I was hoping that would be _one _social gathering where I wouldn't have to see you."

"Bad luck, then."

"Hmm. Oh, we were talking about your brother. Never mind, I'd like to ask about something that makes you even more uncomfortable. Tell me; how long have you been planning to join the Death Eaters?"

Regulus' eyes widened and he glanced around in horror. "Bloody hell, Rosier, not so loud!"

"Oh, please. Don't get your knickers in a twist, we're in a Muggle restaurant. Start talking."

Regulus shrugged. He took a sip of his drink and saw that Vivienne was watching him curiously. He put his glass down. "Fine. I've been thinking about it since last year. I read an article in the paper about his ideas. They're quite fascinating, and most of them are inspiring. I think he's working towards a very noble cause. I spoke to my father about it, and he approved."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "What about his ideas?"

"Well, mainly the fact that we still need to hide from Muggles. I mean honestly; by enforcing all this secrecy, the Ministry is only making us out to be inferior to them. We've been hiding around as if there's something to be ashamed of. At least the Dark Lord believes that wizards should finally come out into the open."

"I've heard my Father talking about the International Statute of Secrecy," Vivienne put in, thoughtfully. To be honest, she'd never paid much mind to matters such as these. "He said that law was the worst thing to happen in the history of wizards."

Regulus nodded. "Well, I suppose he's right. I mean, really, _why _are we hiding from them? It seems silly that the very first thing we're taught as wizards is to keep our magic a secret. It's a _gift_, not a curse. We should be able to use it freely. It could even benefit the Muggles."

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Please. Muggles are too _stupid_ to realize that magic can benefit them as well. Do you have any idea how many of my ancestors were hanged for practicing magic? I'm sure yours were too. Muggles are brutal and barbaric; they _drove _us into hiding through their own stupidity. They hardly deserve to benefit from us."

Regulus nodded. He looked thoughtful as he swirled his glass and gazed at it absent-mindedly. Vivienne watched him with interest. It was surprising that he seemed to be quite passionate about this. She'd never seen this side of Regulus before. "Can you believe we're having this conversation sitting in a Muggle restaurant?" she asked, with a grin.

Regulus smiled. "No doubt they'd have us kicked out if they had a clue what we were talking about."

Both Vivienne and Regulus fell silent as the waiter brought their food up to them.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

By the time Regulus and Vivienne entered the Rosier's home again, it was late afternoon. Regulus stopped at the door, but Vivienne looked at him curiously.

"Well, aren't you coming in?" she asked him.

Regulus shrugged as he slipped his arm out of hers. "That's all right. I should head home, Mum's probably waiting for me. Tell your mother I said hello."

"Tell her yourself," Vivienne replied, as Josephine entered the front hall. She'd heard the sound of them entering the house and smiled widely at them both. Regulus straightened up a little, smiling politely.

"Well, here you are! Did you two have a nice time, then?" she asked. Regulus nodded.

"We did. Thank you again for allowing me to take Vivienne out, Mrs. Rosier."

Josephine smiled. "That's all right. Well, then, it was nice to meet you today, Regulus. I'll let you two say goodbye."

Vivienne sighed as her mother slowly exited the room. Regulus watched her curiously, noticing that the woman was keeping her eyes on them. Was she expecting something to happen? He blinked and turned to Vivienne. "Why is your mother staring at us?"

"You're an idiot, Black. She's expecting us to kiss or something," Vivienne replied. Actually, she didn't know if that really _was_ what her mother expected, but she was looking forward to seeing his expression. It didn't not disappoint. Regulus' ears turned pink and he coughed slightly.

"I see."

"Mm-hm."

Regulus cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose we'll see each other at the Vittoris' wedding?"

"Of course."

Regulus looked a little confused for a moment, but he finally reached for Vivienne's hand and brought it up to his lips, aware that her mother was still watching. Vivienne flushed as he gently kissed the back of her hand. She hadn't been expecting him to do that. His grip on her fingers lingered for a moment, and then he stepped back, still looking embarrassed. "Well, bye, then."

"Goodbye."

Regulus turned around and walked back down the Rosier's porch, trying to control his embarrassment. The feeling of her soft skin against his lips and the pleasantly surprised expression on her face had stirred something inside of him. He thought of _her _lips and how it might have felt to kiss them instead. Before he'd reached the gate, however, a voice called after him.

"Black!"

He whirled around and saw Vivienne standing at the door. She was smiling cheekily. "What?" he asked.

"Your plan failed, you know! You didn't completely ruin my day!"

Regulus grinned.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Nice and long one for you guys. **

**Sorry it's been taking me a while to update. I'm not usually this slow, but I'll try to pick up speed. Not making any promises, though. **

**Do review and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions too. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**(A few weeks later)**

The words, "Vivienne! You have a letter from Hogwarts!" were the ones that made Vivienne Rosier jolt out of bed and run downstairs without even getting dressed. She stumbled over the stairs and finally made it into the kitchen, where Peppy was setting out breakfast and Josephine Rosier was giving her daughter a disapproving look. "Dear, the letter's not going anywhere. Go upstairs and get dressed."

Vivienne frowned. "But mother-"

"No. You're not touching it until you look decent. How can you possibly run around the house in that horrible robe and with your hair all over the place? What if someone were to visit? Go change."

Vivienne gritted her teeth and went back upstairs to get dressed. Normally, Hogwarts letters gave her a sinking feeling; receiving your book list meant that summer was almost over and you would need to return to school soon. But now she was more anxious than nervous. Along with her supplies list would be the one thing she simply couldn't wait to see.

OWL results.

Once she was dressed, she went back downstairs and gave her mother a calm and sweet smile. "Mother. _May _I see my letter now?"

"You may," Josephine replied, handing over the envelope with the Hogwarts seal on it. Vivienne took it, taking a deep breath. What would she find inside? The anticipation was killing her, but she couldn't bring herself to tear open the seal. Josephine raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? Vivienne, you don't meant to tell me you're _nervous_? Since when have you cared about exam results?"

Vivienne looked up at her bewildered yet slightly pleased mother. Of course, Josephine was right. This was silly. How did it matter what happened? With a careless flick of her wrist, Vivienne tore the letter open and unfolded it.

The first sheet was her Hogwarts list and Vivienne tossed it aside. She picked up the paper with the fine print, which undoubtedly contained the results of her examination. She took a deep breath and unfolded it slowly. Before she could read what was written though, her mother had snatched it out of her hands.

"Merlin, you're making _me _jittery with your snail pace. What could possibly frighten you so much about this letter?" Josephine demanded. She flipped it over and glanced over it herself. Her expression brightened slightly as she looked through it. "Well, that's nice. You got eight OWLs. I'm sure your father will be very pleased; it's certainly much better than Evan did."

Vivienne snatched the paper back. A quick glance told her that there were no O's to be seen anywhere. Well, that had been expected. She began to peruse it more carefully. She'd managed an E in Charms and Defence, just scraped an A in Transfiguration and her Herbology was a T. Vivienne winced at the last one, but she realized that she should have expected it. Finally, she came to her Potions mark. A.

A for _Acceptable. _A for _Any Dreams You Had About A New Nimbus are Shot_.

With a horribly sinking feeling, Vivienne put the paper down. How had this happened? She'd spent so much time working on just this one subject, how could she have not managed at least an E? For a moment, it wasn't even about the Nimbus anymore.

Vivienne had always thought she was clever. Well, of course, her grades weren't fabulous, but she'd thought that was because she never tried. Hadn't that been what her professors had been telling her since first year? '_Rosier, you're a clever girl but you need to apply yourself a little more? _Now Vivienne had applied herself, and it still hadn't worked. She'd spent day and night fretting over this stupid subject and all for nothing. A rush of anger surged through her and she stormed out of the dining room, going upstairs and slamming the door shut behind her.

Josephine Rosier stared after her daughter, bewildered.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Bloody-trunk-Evan! Help!" Vivienne insisted as she attempted to lift her trunk onto the Hogwarts Express. It would start moving soon, and she simply couldn't pick it up. Vivienne's brother glared at her, cutting short a conversation with a friend to come over and lift her trunk. He easily picked it up off the platform and placed it inside the train.

"Find somebody else to lift your trunk for you from now on," Evan snapped at her. "Can't your boyfriend do it for you? What good is he if he can't even carry your things around?"

Vivienne glared at him darkly, but her brother was already walking away. Oh, well, what did it matter? At least now that her trunk was inside the train she could set about finding her friends and a compartment. She had almost walked half the length of the train when she saw Freya waving to her. "Vivienne! We found a compartment, in here!"

Vivienne had just set her bulging trunk in the compartment when the train started with a lurch. She smiled at Freya and Narcissa. "Well, here you two are! I haven't seen you all summer, Frey; how have you been?"

Freya smiled lightly. Her blonde hair had grown out a little over the past few months and she was looking a little more slim than before. Neither of the changes were drastic, but she still looked good. "I'm all right. I didn't do anything interesting though. But first things first; how were your OWL results? What happened to Potions?"

Vivienne smiled tightly. "A."

Both Narcissa and Freya's expressions became instantly sympathetic. "Oh, Viv... and you worked so hard!"

Vivienne shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. She hadn't quite gotten over the OWL results, yet. She certainly didn't want to talk to her friends about it. They would only smile and offer useless words of comfort. Her mother had already done that. "Don't worry about it. How about you two? Get all twelve OWLS, Freya?"

Freya shrugged. "Eleven, actually, but I only got three Os. The rest were Es, and my Defence was just an A. I screwed up my practical. Cissy? How about you?"

"Ten."

"Not bad."

Narcissa shrugged, and glanced at her watch. "It's not bad. My parents were pleased. So, I should be getting to the Prefects' compartment. I'll see you two at dinner, all right? I might go join Lucius after."

"All right. Have fun."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne avoided Regulus like the plague. He made eye contact with her during the Sorting, but she firmly looked away. She had yet to tell him that she lost the bet, and somehow, she simply couldn't find it in herself to. She noticed him watching her curiously, but she ignored it. Regulus wouldn't approach her around other people; one of the conditions had been that the bet be kept a secret from Evan. All she had to do was stick around Evan and she was safe. For now.

"Would you stop following me around?" Evan demanded at breakfast the next morning. His sister had stuck to him all evening the previous day, until he'd finally gone to bed. And now she was sitting with him at the breakfast table. "Did Mum ask you to keep an eye on me or something?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "No. Why would she do that?"

"Well, since you blabbed about the Bellatrix thing-"

Vivienne scoffed. "Oh, please. Don't blame me, at least that was _true_. You cooked up some awful stories about me and Regulus Black and you know it. Feel free to apologize at any time."

"Fat chance," Evan retorted, getting up. "I'm _not _sitting with you for Merlin's sake, I think we saw enough of each other over the summer. Go find your own friends, Vivienne."

Vivienne panicked. She could see Regulus sitting a few seats away out of the corner of her eye. If Evan left, he might approach her. Why couldn't her brother understand her need? "But-"

Vivienne couldn't complete her sentence, though, because Evan had already jumped out of his seat in panic. "Bloody hell, Slughorn's coming. I don't want to be stuck here for another hour while he blabbers some nonsense," he muttered. "Good luck."

Evan rushed away, just as Professor Slughorn waddled over to Vivienne with a huge smile. Vivienne shrunk slightly. Wouldn't Slughorn be disappointed that she hadn't made it into NEWT Potions? She was a little apprehensive about the smile on his face. "Ah, Miss Rosier! Here you are! I believe I have your timetable for you..." he tapped his wand on the parchment and the writing appeared. Vivienne smiled and took it from him.

"Thank you Professor. I suppose you've seen my results. I'm so sorry I didn't make it into NEWT Potions. I studied so hard, I simply don't know what went wrong," Vivienne said, pouting her lower lip out in an attempt to look more pitiful. Slughorn, instead of smiling at her in a patronizing manner, responded with a twinkle in his eye.

"Ah, perhaps you should look at your timetable, Miss Rosier. You'll be surprised."

Vivienne looked down, and saw that the very first subject on her timetable, labelled for Monday morning, was Potions. She blinked to make sure she hadn't misread it and then looked back up at Professor Slughorn. "But Professor, I only got an A."

Slughorn patted her shoulder. "I noticed. No doubt that was a mistake; I noticed that the only marks you lost were in your practical. Mr. Henderson can be a tough man and I don't doubt you deserved much more than you got. I spoke to Professor Dumbledore and as long as you receive an E or more on your first Potions test this year, you can take the NEWT-level class."

Vivienne stared at him, her eyes almost bugging out of her head. "But Professor-"

"No buts. I suggest you hurry up eating, because class starts in less than fifteen minutes and I abhor tardiness. I will certainly not tolerate it in my sixth-year students."

Then he shot her one more cheerful smile and waddled away.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Thanks so much for the reviews! You guys are really sweet!**

**Ash-Caro-Lynn, it's very surprising that you see Regulus changing Vivienne. In my opinion, it was more Vivienne changing Regulus! I mean, he's finally learned how to handle her. Lol! But yes, I suppose the bitchiness factor is reducing. And you may see more of that in the next few chapters. **

**Skylar Alpha, I'm glad you noticed! And honestly, I think that's one of the only things Vivienne and Regulus have in common. Interfering mothers. I don't know if all pureblood mothers are like that; I suppose there may be some that don't care about their kids. (I think Blaise Zabini's mother may have been that type, considering her number of ex-husbands. Just a guess, though.) **

**danceegirl92, I'm glad you're starting to like Slytherins; personally I love them! And Vivulus… hmm…. I think that'll take a while getting used to. :D **

**Do let me know what you think! This chapter was short, but I wanted to end it here. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Vivienne slunk into Potions class silently when there were only a few seconds left for it to start. She felt somehow guilty; as if she didn't deserve to be there. All the people sitting in that classroom were actually _good _at Potions. She'd just scraped an A. A creeping feeling resembling shame was coming over her, as she slid into the seat beside Freya.

Freya's eyes widened. "Viv? What are you doing here?"

Vivienne put her finger over her lips to shush her friend but it was too late. Regulus, who'd been sitting a few rows away, turned and looked. His grey eyes met hers with the tiniest hint of surprise in them. Vivienne almost felt angry. _Was he so confident that I wouldn't make it into NEWT Potions? _And then that sinking feeling was back because, of course, Regulus Black had been right. She cleared her head and turned back to face the front where Slughorn had already started to address the class.

It turned out they didn't need a textbook for the first day; which was just as well considering Vivienne didn't have one. Slughorn rattled on about some potions that he had set out on his desk. Vivienne wasn't even listening. _What am I thinking? _She kept asking herself. _I hate this subject. Why am I even here? _She felt the urge to turn and gaze out of the window as she always did during Potions. It wasn't until everyone got to their feet that Vivienne jolted out of her trance.

"What's happening?" Vivienne asked Freya, as most of the students began to file up to Slughorn's desk. Freya gave her an incredulous look.

"We're getting a closer look at the potions. Why are you here, Vivienne? I thought you got an A?"

Vivienne sighed. "Well, when has Slughorn ever let my incompetence stop him from making me one of his favourite students? He decided to let me in anyway. The bloody man even got special permission from Dumbledore to make sure I'd get in here."

Freya raised an eyebrow in surprise, but let it go as they approached the desk. They went past the first two Potions; Vivienne didn't know what they were and she didn't quite care either. Everyone seemed to be sniffing the third one.

"It's Amortentia," Freya told her quietly. Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"What the bloody hell is Amortentia?"

"Love Potion. Just smell it." Freya leaned in and took a deep breath, a smile coming over her face as she inhaled the vapours. Then her smile faltered a little as she stepped away from it, almost too quickly. "What are you waiting for? Go ahead."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, but leaned in anyway. The first scent was simple; it was the chocolate truffle cake that Peppy made at home. Vivienne could almost feel her tummy rumble as she smelt it. She would have to write home and ask for Peppy to send some. Hopefully her mother wouldn't find out. Next came the smell of new fabric. It was the sort of smell Vivienne got from new clothes before they'd been washed.

The last was a broomstick. Not just any broomstick, but the fresh, woody scent of a brand new Nimbus. It reminded Vivienne of the night before the Potions exam, when Regulus had lent her his broom to take a spin. That had been quite sweet of him. She leaned away from the cauldron and let the next student take their whiff.

Once class was over, Vivienne grabbed Freya's hand and almost dragged her out of the classroom. She didn't want to meet Regulus at all. He'd started to walk towards her, but before he could get close enough to say anything, Vivienne had bolted. She breathed a sigh of relief once he was out of sight.

Maybe she could keep this up for the rest of the year.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

The steps to the Owlery were never-ending.

Vivienne needed to send a letter home, and her owl was being a complete bitch. Ever since her parents had bought Sienna, the cute little brown owl in Vivienne's first year, she'd known that they would never get along. Unfortunately, the two were too similar to each other. Sienna was lazy, and preferred to lounge in her cage all day rather than deliver a letter. When Vivienne got annoyed and rattled the owl's cage angrily, it usually came out and bit her.

Vivienne eyed the red mark on her forefinger irritably. She'd never quite gotten along with animals. Even her friends' owls hated her. But she needed to get the letter home somehow, or she'd never get the truffle cake that she wanted. Damn Slughorn and his Amortentia for making her crave it.

Vivienne panted as she finally reached the top of the tower. Was she really that out of shape? She looked down at herself. She didn't _feel _any fatter than before, but she didn't remember the climb to the Owlery being this stressful either. Finally, she burst into the room with the owls.

"All right. Who's up for a trip?" she asked them. One of the school's barn owls hooted at her, and she picked it up and set it on the ledge as she tied her letter to it. Luckily, it didn't bite. It only gave her a slightly reproachful glare as it flew out of the window. "Stupid owl. What did I ever do to you, anyway?"

"Do you make a habit of coming up here to talk to the school owls?" a familiar voice asked. Vivienne's eyes widened as she whirled around and saw Regulus, with a letter in his hand. He was looking at her with one eyebrow raised coolly. For a moment, she panicked.

"Did you follow me up here?" she demanded.

Regulus shook his head. His grey eyes were watching her curiously. He didn't move, simply stared at her. Vivienne almost thought she could see hurt in his expression. She withered under his gaze. "You're a difficult person to find, Rosier. Have you been avoiding me?"

Vivienne was silent. She didn't know how to respond. Denying it would be stupid; she _had _been avoiding him and he knew that. "Maybe I just didn't want to start off a new school year by seeing your face."

"Not even to gloat about winning the bet?" Regulus asked. "I saw you in Potions today. You made it into the NEWT course, congratulations." He held up the letter he was holding and waved it at her. Vivienne stared.

"What's that?"

"Order form. For your new Nimbus? I'm sending it now, so the broom should be here by next week. I've put down your name so it'll go directly to you."

A lump rose in Vivienne's throat as she watched Regulus select an owl and tie the letter to it's leg. _He thinks I got into NEWT Potions on my own. _A part of her was determined to stay silent. How did it matter what he thought? A week from now, she would have that brand new broom she'd wanted since first year. She'd been dreaming about it for so long. Besides, she was a Slytherin. There was nothing wrong in keeping her mouth shut as long as it meant she was getting what she wanted, right? It wasn't as if she'd lied to him. He'd simply assumed it himself. She didn't have any responsibility to correct him.

But then there was the creeping feeling that she didn't deserve it. She _hadn't _gotten into NEWT Potions. And it wasn't fair, not to Regulus. Why should he have to buy her a broom when she couldn't even make a bloody E in the subject? She was cheating him. Did she want the broom so badly that she was willing to cheat Regulus out of it?

Besides, the bet hadn't even been about the broom. It was a matter of ego, of pride, and Vivienne was feeling anything but proud of herself. She felt low, sneaky and useless. Pathetic.

"You all right, Rosier?" Regulus asked. He'd noticed the torn expression on her face. For a moment, she looked almost entirely vulnerable. He'd never seen Vivienne Rosier look vulnerable. "Rosier?"

"Don't send the letter."

Regulus froze. "Why not?"

Vivienne shook her head. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so upset. The lump in her throat refused to go away and to her horror, she could feel warm tears beginning to form in her eyes. She turned her face away from him quickly, trying to hide the crack in her voice. "Just don't send it. Forget this stupid bet. I don't want it anymore."

"Are you _crying_?" Regulus was completely bewildered and he almost dropped the letter. She'd turned her face away from him and covered it with her hands. He could hear small choking noises, but his mind refused to believe it. Vivienne didn't cry. Maybe this was some sort of prank and she was really laughing. Maybe she was acting. Regulus watched her, unsure what to do. "Rosier..."

"J-just go away, Black. And take y-your order form with you."

This was no act. Vivienne had turned her head slightly to speak to him and he'd seen the tears glistening just under her eyes. She was truly having a break-down. He walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away. "Merlin, Rosier, what's wrong? I didn't... did I do something?"

Vivienne shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was honestly crying here, in front of Regulus Black. She hadn't cried since she was a child; and even then, she didn't cry, she threw tantrums. But the choking sobs would only get worse and her body refused to listen to her shame at being seen sobbing her eyes out by Regulus Black. She could sense him hesitating behind her, clearly unsure what to do. Finally, he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Tell me what's wrong."

Vivienne kept her face buried in her hands even as Regulus' arm wrapped awkwardly around her shoulders. She wanted to move closer to him and hug him, but she knew that would only make things worse. She'd humiliated herself enough. "I... I lost the bet, all right? I only got an A in Potions. S-Slughorn had to pull strings to get me into the class."

Regulus was silent. Vivienne lifted her face away from her hands to see his expression. He honestly didn't seem all that surprised. "Oh."

"Oh?" she asked him. "What, that's it? I lostthe bloody bet, Black. The broom, the pride, it's all yours. _You were right_. Are you happy, now?"

Regulus removed his arm from around her. "You're not seriously making this out to be _my _fault, are you? You're the one who thought you could slack off for five years and study everything in the last month. Don't act as though _I _had anything to do with it."

"If you hadn't suggested this stupid bet-"

"Then you wouldn't have had your ego taken down a notch," Regulus replied. "Because that's what happened, isn't it? Perfect little Vivienne Rosier realized that she's not perfect anymore and now she's making a scene about it so that everyone pities her."

Vivienne's eyes widened. "How dare you? I don't want your bloody pity-"

"But that _is _what happened, isn't it? You thought you could have anything you wanted, and now you've realized that you can't. The moment you start playing fair, Rosier, you lose it all. Because you've been playing dirty all your life. Well, I'm sorry, but I think it's time you learned your lesson. Better now than later," Regulus snapped.

Vivienne was silent. He was right, and she couldn't bring herself to argue with him. When had she ever gotten anything fairly in her life? Everything was because of her parents or her blood status, not _her. _The tears began to flow again and she turned her face away from him once more.

Regulus' expression softened. He hadn't meant to make her cry. He tried to reach out and touch her shoulder again, but she shook him off violently. He stepped back, suddenly feeling guilty. She was upset that she'd lost the bet and he was yelling at her. "Rosier, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel worse-"

"Didn't you?" she choked out.

"No, I didn't."

Vivienne wiped her eyes clumsily. "Well, maybe you were right. I've learned my lesson. And it robbed me of pretty much all my pride and self-respect. So honestly, Black, the least you could do is leave me to cry alone so that I don't lose what little I have left."

Regulus took a step back. "I'm sorry. And if you want the broom-"

"I don't."

He nodded. Part of him wanted to pull her into his arms and envelop her in a hug but he knew that would be a bad idea. Instead, he quietly placed the order form on the ledge and walked out of the Owlery. Once his footsteps faded away, Vivienne picked up the letter and tossed it out of the window. She watched as it fluttered down and sank into the Great Lake.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Phew! What did you guys think of that? Did you see it coming? As cruel as it sounds, it was kind of fun to take Vivienne's ego down a notch. This bet really taught her some home truths.**

**hella-sirius, haha, I noticed that you changed your name! Sorry there was no Regulus previous chapter; I was going to make that and this one long chapter, but I decided against it. Hope you weren't disappointed with this! **

**jg2000, that's interesting. Honestly, I pictured Regulus as the quiet guy who doesn't talk all that much to his cousins. But I guess I haven't portrayed that very well. I will try to put in Regulus-Narcissa interaction for sure! Thanks for pointing it out! : ) **

**Ash-Caro-Lynn, **_**isn't **_**Slughorn fat? So I know he isn't huge in the movies but when I read the books I always pictured him that way. That, and his name kind of encouraged the fat and round image. Maybe I was wrong. Oh, and as to Vivienne changing; I think I just threw subtlety out the window with this chapter. :D**

**danceegirl92, yeah, don't worry, the whole Henderson drama will unfold too. Just keep an eye out! **

**Do let me know what you think! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Regulus Black bumped into Evan Rosier on the way to Potions class. The taller, blonde-haired boy looked down at him, his eyes widening in recognition. "Black. There you are. Been looking for you."

Regulus hesitated. "You have?" He was still feeling guilty about making Vivienne cry the previous day. Of course, part of him knew that it was her own fault; she'd always been egoistic and self-centred. Finding out that she wasn't as wonderful as she seemed to think couldn't have been easy for her. But still, he couldn't get the image of those tear-filled chocolate brown eyes out of his head.

"Quidditch try-outs at five today. The whole team has to be there, don't be late," Evan replied. Regulus almost breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure what he'd been worried about; but he didn't want to be on Evan Rosier's bad side. It would affect both his spot on the Quidditch team and his potential future as a Death Eater. _Not to mention any chances of fixing a relationship with Vivienne. _He wasn't sure where that last thought came from, but he shook it out of his head. It didn't matter. Regulus Black was not about to cross Evan Rosier.

"Thanks, mate. I'll be there."

Evan grunted and walked away, leaving Regulus to rush to Potions. He'd just slid into an empty seat beside another Slytherin boy when Slughorn entered the class and began to lecture in his booming voice. Regulus took fervent notes until Slughorn gave them a break and he glanced around the classroom.

Vivienne wasn't there. She wasn't seated beside Freya Hazelwood as she usually was, neither could he see her anywhere else in the classroom. An unexpected panic rose up inside him. _Is she all right? _He scolded himself as soon as the thought entered his head. _Don't be stupid; you made her cry, you didn't push her off the Owlery. She'll be fine. _But why hadn't she come to class?

The bell rang and students began to file out. He spotted his cousin, Narcissa. Maybe she could tell him what had happened to Vivienne. He was just wondering how to approach the subject when someone clapped him hard on the back. Regulus winced.

"Black! There you are! Nice summer?"

Regulus nodded faintly at Rookwood. The boy was more brawn than brains, and he seemed to secretly enjoy the fact that Regulus was smaller than him. Surely that hard clap on the back hadn't been all innocent. It still stung. "All right, I s'pose."

"Heard Quidditch try-outs are today," Rookwood added, pointedly.

"They are. Are you trying out?"

"Yep. Chaser. Throw in a good word for me, will you? Lucius Malfoy is a pretty stubborn git and I may have offended him last year. I don't want that to affect my chances."

_Should have thought of that before you decided to mess with one of the richest and most influential blokes in school, shouldn't you? _"I'll try."

"All right! Thanks, mate!" Rookwood clapped him on the back again and then sauntered off. Regulus could only wince. He looked up and realized that Narcissa was gone; wonderful. Now how was he supposed to find out what had happened to Vivienne?

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"He's everywhere," Freya mumbled. She was scribbling absent-mindedly on her Transfiguration essay, while Narcissa watched her with concern. "It was all right over summer, when I didn't see him. But now I see him everywhere. It's almost as if he's doing it on purpose; rubbing in the fact that he and Rochelle Vittori are happy together."

Narcissa smiled sadly at her friend. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that they weren't?"

"What do you mean?"

Narcissa took a deep breath. "Look, if I tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Even Vivienne, she's a big mouth. Besides, I don't even know if it's true or not, Lucius made me promise not to tell and if he found out that I told you..."

"I promise not to say a word," replied Freya.

"All right. Lucius thinks that Rochelle... that she's having a secret affair. Not with Rabastan."

"Then?"

"Black."

Freya's eyes widened. "Your _cousin, _Black? Merlin, Vivienne will have a fit, won't she? I always thought that she fancied him, but if he's sneaking around with Vittori-"

"Not _that _Black!" Narcissa hissed. "Sirius Black. The blood traitor. Lucius thinks that there's something going on between them and that she's a blood traitor herself. I saw them too, last year, hanging around together in a deserted corridor. That's why Rochelle never bothers with Rabastan. At least, I think it is."

Freya still couldn't digest the information. _A blood traitor. _Vittori had always seemed like the perfect pureblood girl, she would never have imagined that she was doing something so scandalous. But it made sense. Why would Vittori continually refuse Rabastan's advances if it wasn't because she was already seeing someone else? "But... but what does Rabastan think?"

"Don't be silly, he doesn't _know_."

Freya shook her head. "Well, doesn't Lucius think his best friend deserves to know that the girl he's pursuing is secretly a blood traitor? Why would he keep quiet about this?"

Narcissa sighed. "Family comes first, Frey. Lucius is hoping that if he keeps quiet, Rochelle will come to her senses and end whatever it is she's doing with the blood traitor. Then if she accepts Rabastan's advances, it'll be as though it never happened. As opposed to how Vittori's reputation would fall to shreds if it ever came out."

"So he's lying to his friend."

Narcissa frowned. "Only to help his cousin."

"But in the process, he's hurting his friend. Can you imagine what it would be like for Rabastan if he finds out that the girl he spent so much time going after, wasn't who he thought she was? He'll be heart-broken," Freya insisted. But her friend wasn't impressed.

"The way he broke your heart, you mean?"

"That's beside the-"

"No, Freya. Rabastan Lestrange was a complete arse to you; he deserves anything he's got coming with Vittori. And if you say anything to anyone, it'll ruin _my _betrothal. Lucius would be so furious if he found out I was the one who told you. Please don't say anything, Freya."

Freya was silent for a moment. She leaned back, and ran her fingers over her face. Merlin, why did life have to be so complicated? Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry. I would never jeopardize your relationship with Lucius."

Narcissa smiled. "Thank you. Now, do you think we should go find Vivienne? She's been sulking all day, and I'm worried about her. I think it's to do with Regulus and that stupid bet."

"All right."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Regulus simply couldn't get Vivienne out of his mind. He hadn't seen her all day and he was starting to feel restless. Where was she? Her sudden disappearance had heightened his feeling of guilt, and he felt as though he couldn't stop until he knew that she was all right. He'd even snuck into the Hospital Wing to check if she was there, but she wasn't. The feeling of not knowing was like an itch in the back of his mind; it was driving him crazy.

"Black! Guard the posts while Hartman shoots!" Lucius Malfoy yelled from the ground. As a Seeker, Regulus didn't really have much to do during the Slytherin try-outs. Lucius had already weeded out all those below third-year and the ones who had no idea how to even fly. Surprisingly, there were always a few of those.

Regulus zoomed in front of the goalposts to stand in as Keeper. The boy trying out was clumsy and Regulus could easily block his Quaffle, even though he wasn't much of a Keeper. Lucius looked disappointed. "That was pathetic! Who's next?"

By the time try-outs were over, Regulus' arms were aching. He wasn't used to doing a Keeper's work, and it required a lot of extra physical stamina. He landed on the ground and rubbed his arms as most of the students left; some looking pleased with themselves and others disappointed. He sighed, moving towards the changing rooms so he could get out of his sweaty robes. Something caught his eye and he stopped abruptly.

Vivienne Rosier was sitting on the grass a few feet away, watching the end of the try-outs as she twirled a lock of chestnut hair around her finger. She hadn't noticed him and he instantly changed direction, walking over to her. "Where the bloody hell have you been all day?"

Vivienne glanced up coolly. Regulus was glad to note that the teary-eyed girl from yesterday was gone; her eyes looked as calm and cold as ever. "Careful what you say, Black; somebody might think you actually care."

Regulus sighed. He forced himself to calm down and slowly sat down on the grass beside her. Vivienne didn't protest. She only continued to twirl the hair around her finger. "Look, I... I want to apologize for what I said yesterday, all right? I didn't meant to make you cry. It was just difficult for me to admit that I was wrong about you."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "I thought what we established yesterday was that you were _right _about me. I'm just a prissy girl who thinks the world revolves around her whereas she can't actually get anything done for herself. Isn't that right?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Look, the truth is, I _wanted _you to win the bet," Regulus replied. He could see Vivienne sit up in surprise; he'd peaked her interest. "I was so certain that you couldn't possibly get an E on your own. So if you _did _get an E; that would mean that you'd used your influence. I know that Henderson knew your Dad; Narcissa told me."

"Why would Cissy say that?"

"She's my cousin; it came up in conversation and she mentioned it."

"Oh."

Regulus sighed. "I know it sounds complicated, but... I wanted you to win the bet so that I could prove that you would have to play dirty to get what you wanted. Then, even though you'd won the bet, I would have won in my own mind because I'd been right about you all along."

"But I didn't win the bet."

"No. You got an A in Potions; which can only mean that you _didn't_ use Henderson to get your grade. You got that A though your own hard work, and that pissed me off. It never occurred to me that you'd play _fair. _So I was wrong about you. You're a better person than I thought you were."

Vivienne looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure how reassuring that is; considering that you clearly thought I was a pretty rotten person in the first place."

Regulus chuckled. "I suppose. I guess we both got our egos taken down a notch, eh?"

Vivienne nodded, looking up at him. His grey eyes were looking at her softly, with a feeling that almost seemed like respect or admiration. It made Vivienne's stomach flutter pleasantly. There was a hint of a smile on his lips and she felt the urge to lean over and kiss them. She blushed, and turned away. "I'm sorry for crying yesterday. I probably freaked you out; I'm not usually that emotional."

"Are you joking? You _terrified _me," he replied, with a sheepish smile. "I have no experience with crying girls, I was baffled about what to do."

"I noticed. Sorry."

Regulus shrugged. "You don't have to apologize, it's all right. Besides, you look much better when you smile. And I mean _really _smile, not that smug little smirk you're always giving me."

"Like this?" Vivienne asked, smirking at him. Regulus rolled his eyes, before getting to his knees quickly.

"I have to go, I need to change out of my Quidditch robes. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Vivienne shook her head. "Not in Potions, you won't."

He turned and looked at her curiously. "Excuse me?"

"I quit."

"You _quit? _How do you quit a class?"

Vivienne shrugged, and rolled her eyes. "You go up to the Professor and tell them that you don't want to be in their class anymore. I swear; Slughorn was so upset about it, I felt more like I was breaking up with him than dropping his class. But he agreed in the end; it's not like he had a choice, he couldn't force me to take the subject."

Regulus blinked. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well, unfortunately, I didn't do it for _you, _I did it for myself. I couldn't even manage my Potions OWL, and I'm not stupid enough to think I can manage the NEWT class. Never liked the subject anyway," Vivienne replied. She smirked at the surprised look on Regulus' face. "Let me guess, Black; you were wrong about me again."

"I was," he admitted, getting to his feet completely. "I'll see you around, Rosier."

"Sure."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I know that this story isn't quite as heavy or angsty as La Trahison was, but I'm doing my best getting there. **

**Let me know what you think! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Freya slipped down to the Slytherin common room, and found a comfortable seat in the corner of the room. Sixth year was more difficult that she'd thought, and she was overloaded with homework. Considering that neither Narcissa nor Vivienne had taken nearly as many subjects as her, she was often left alone to study while Cissy frolicked with her betrothed and Viv hung around the Quidditch pitch every evening.

As she paused her writing to flex her aching hand, she looked up and saw that Rabastan was sitting only a few seats away from her. He was with Snape and Avery, but he didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation. His focus was elsewhere and Freya followed his gaze to see Rochelle Vittori.

Freya's fists clenched, as they always did whenever she found Rabastan staring at Vittori. It was quite often, but it was even worse knowing that Vittori might be having an affair with Sirius Black. Despite how much Rabastan had hurt her, she still felt bad for him. Nobody deserved to find out that the girl they'd fancied for years was a blood traitor. Freya felt the urge to just walk up to him and tell him the truth. Lucius Malfoy was a disgusting git for lying to his friend.

But of course, that would only end badly. Not only would it ruin Narcissa's betrothal, there was no guarantee that Rabastan would believe her. For all he knew, she was a jealous ex-girlfriend. Feeling bitter and irritated, Freya turned back to her Charms essay. She needed to get this done as soon as possible. Before she could write another word, however, someone plopped heavily into the armchair beside her and sighed dramatically.

"How do you know when a boy fancies you?"

Freya raised an eyebrow at Vivienne's question. It seemed a silly thing to ask; Vivienne was the one who knew how to handle boys better than the rest of them. She could manage the pigs like Mulciber and Nott, and even flirt with the decent ones like Wilkes or Avery. Considering all the experience Vivienne had with _boys_, the question seemed a little childish and stupid. "You're asking me, Viv? Really?"

Vivienne shrugged. "I don't mean the pigs like Mulciber who throw themselves all over you. I mean the more dignified ones. The ones who don't make their feelings completely and utterly obvious. How did you know that Rabastan fancied you?"

Freya winced and Vivienne's smile dropped instantly. "Sorry. Sore subject?"

"A little."

"Sorry. Forget I said anything. It was a stupid question anyway. I'm going to bed. Did I tell you Vittori caught me out last night? It was only five minutes after curfew but the bitch took five bloody points from her own house."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "You should know better than to mess with Prefects."

"The rest of them are nice to me, I don't know what _her_ problem is. Grumpy old hag."

"Goodnight, Vivienne."

Vivienne went upstairs and Freya turned back to glance at Rabastan. He had now joined the conversation with Snape and Avery; Freya couldn't help but notice that Rochelle Vittori wasn't sitting where she was before. Freya just managed to catch a glimpse of Rochelle's long dark hair swinging behind her as the older girl exited the dungeons.

Something struck Freya as odd. It was minutes away from curfew; now was hardly the time to be going anywhere if Rochelle didn't want to be caught after hours. _She probably has Prefect duty, _Freya told herself. Everyone knew that Vittori was one of the most responsible prefects; if it hadn't been for Lily Evans, she might have even been made Head Girl. But Vivienne had said something about Rochelle catching her after hours the previous day. So Rochelle had been on duty yesterday; surely Hogwarts had enough Prefects that they wouldn't assign the same person night duty two days in a row?

Freya snapped her books shut and shoved them in her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She glanced around the room once, feeling a little wary, before quietly following Rochelle Vittori out of the Slytherin dungeons.

It felt odd; Freya had never been outside after curfew. To be honest, she'd never quite had the guts to break any rules. Vivienne was the one who regularly snuck outside to the Quidditch pitch. But then again, _she'd_ always been able to talk her way out of detention effectively. Freya could almost feel her own footsteps echoing as she carefully followed Rochelle down a number of corridors.

She almost dropped her bag at one point, and had to duck behind a wall before Rochelle could turn around and see her. Whipping out her wand, Freya quickly cast a Disillusionment charm on herself. It was a difficult spell and she wasn't very good at it. But perhaps it would prevent Rochelle Vittori from noticing her.

As they got further and further away from the common room, Freya began to get more nervous. They were on the fourth floor when she began to have second thoughts. This was a terrible idea. She had no _clue _where Vittori was going. Worried, she followed hesitantly until they reached the seventh floor landing.

"Where have you been all day?" a male voice asked. It almost made Freya jump because she had no clue where it was coming from. She gripped her wand tightly, making sure that her Disillusionment charm held while she glanced around for the source of the noise. There was nobody in the corridor but her and Rochelle. But Rochelle seemed completely calm as she let out a strangled sigh.

"I'm sorry; Lucius won't get off my back. He suspects something, Sirius. I had to wait until he went off with Narcissa," Rochelle apologized. "Would you get out from under the Cloak? I can't see you."

Freya held her breath as there was a sweeping noise and she saw some sort of cloth move in the air around Rochelle's head. Within a moment, Rochelle was gone too. "We have to be careful," Sirius's voice replied. "James needed the Map today, so we shouldn't stick around the corridors. Let's go in."

_Invisibility Cloak_, Freya realized. She heard their footsteps carrying them away from her, until they stopped outside an empty wall. Freya held her breath as she heard muttering and then a door materialised. Within moments, the couple had slipped inside and disappeared, leaving Freya all alone. For a few moments, she couldn't move. Then she quickly ran back down the stairs, heading back to the Slytherin common rooms as quickly as she could.

Through sheer luck, nobody caught Freya on the way back to the dungeons. By the time she slipped back into the common room, her weak Disillusionment charm had completely faded away. She let out a breath that she'd been holding for a long time and then collapsed into her armchair.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Rabastan was listening to Avery describe how he'd jinxed one of the Muggle-born Hufflepuffs when he saw Freya Hazelwood enter the Slytherin common rooms. Her blonde hair looked messy and she seemed out of breath. He watched as she collapsed into an armchair in the corner of the room and appeared to calm herself down. Just as he was about to turn back to Avery, she got up from the armchair and walked straight to him.

Rabastan couldn't breathe for a moment. He hadn't seen Freya in so long that he'd forgotten the way her large blue eyes would look up at him admiringly and the way her pale cheeks would explode with colour whenever he flirted with her. But the look on her face now was stern and tight-lipped. It made Rabastan's stomach lurch to think that it was his fault that she wasn't smiling anymore.

"Lestrange. Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked curtly. Avery and Snape glanced up, but didn't pay her much mind. They all thought she was Rabastan's playtoy; the girl he'd had fun with, but hadn't been serious about. Rabastan nodded.

"Erm, yeah, all right."

He stood up slowly and followed Freya to a slightly more empty corner of the room. Her eyes wouldn't look straight at him; she kept avoiding his gaze. He wished she would look at him properly. "I need you to do something for me," she replied. "And I need you not to ask too many questions."

Rabastan frowned. "What do you-"

"I said no _questions, _Lestrange," Freya hissed. Rabastan winced and nodded. He had to admit that he didn't like this side of Freya. He missed her innocent laugh and shy smile. This wasn't her; and if it was, it was all his fault.

"All right."

"I want you to go up to Lucius Malfoy and ask him if he suspects something about Rochelle Vittori. Something you deserve to know. Don't let him dodge the question. Pretend as though you saw something that raised your suspicion, but don't say what it is."

Rabastan stared at her. "_What?" _

"Don't say my name. You can't tell him that I told you this. Look, Lucius is hiding something from you that you deserve to know."

"Abut Rochelle?"

"Yes."

Rabastan shook his head. What sort of nonsense was this? He had no idea what Freya was talking about and he deserved some answers. "Why would Lucius hide something from me? What _could _he hide from me?"

Freya sighed. "You'll get those answers. From _him, _not from me. Just go up to him and ask, and don't say my name, all right? After you dumped me for that sneaky little bitch, it's the least you can do."

"Don't say that about Rochelle."

Freya laughed harshly. "Believe me, that's not what you'll be saying in the morning."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne hummed to herself happily as she exited her last class of the day. She walked out into the Hogwarts grounds; there was supposed to be Quidditch practice today and she intended to watch as usual. She settled herself down in her usual spot on the lawn and poked her wand as the grass, twisting the blades into different shapes absent-mindedly.

"You seem quite happy," a voice commented. She looked up and saw Regulus standing over her, his broomstick and Quidditch robes bundled under one arm. She shrugged and smiled.

"I'm having a nice day," she admitted. "Ever since I dropped Potions, I have first period free on Mondays, so I can sleep in till nine o'clock if I want to. It's amazing how much of a difference Monday-morning sleep can make to your day."

Regulus nodded in agreement. "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?"

"Don't you have practice?"

"I'm a bit early. It doesn't start for another twenty minutes," he replied, sitting down beside her. Vivienne watched him curiously as he made himself comfortable on the grass and put his broomstick and robes aside.

"You know Black, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to be nice to me," Vivienne teased him with a smile. "I don't usually resort to crying to manipulate people, but I'm thinking it may not be a bad idea."

"You're joking. I find it very difficult to believe that _you've _never faked a few tears to get what you want," Regulus retorted. "Don't all girls do that?"

"As shocking as it may seem, I can't cry on demand."

Regulus smiled. It struck him that they'd never had a civil conversation before the past few days. But he found himself seeking out Vivienne's company more and more. He'd been stopping to say hello whenever he saw her in the corridors or in class, and she didn't seem to mind. Regulus even enjoyed their light-hearted teasing. "You know, it's a pity. My mother goes soft whenever she sees anyone crying. You could have won her heart with a few well-placed tears."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted her to hate me?"

"I did."

"How does one go about that, exactly? I mean, I could always tip some food onto her dress or something, but that's not a very..._ classy_ way to do things," Vivienne admitted. She grinned when Regulus raised an eyebrow at her. "What? You'll have to help me out, at least a little! I'm so used to making people love me that I find it difficult to do things the other way around. It's my natural charm, you see."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "_Natural charm_? I'm yet to see this thing you speak of."

"Well, your 'doom and gloom' attitude probably drives it away," Vivienne replied simply. "So, let's talk about this. What does your mother hate?"

Regulus sighed and pretended to look thoughtful. "Muggles. Muggle-borns. Blood traitors; my brother in particular. Poor people."

"That's a rather standard list, isn't it? You're not giving me much to work with," Vivienne complained. Regulus smiled at her. "What could I _do _that would make your mother hate me? Something like... I don't know. Insulting her tapestries or something."

"The tapestries at home are hideous, everyone knows that. We only keep them around because they're stuck with the house."

Vivienne sighed. "Muggle-borns, blood traitors... oh! What if she thought I was having an affair with a Muggle-born? Wouldn't that change her mind about me completely? You could tell me that you saw me snogging Darryl Jones or something-"

"Who is Darryl Jones?" Regulus asked, looking slightly startled.

"Seventh-year Gryffindor," Vivienne replied. "He's a Muggle-born; quite good-looking too, just in case she decides to investigate. I mean, it has to believable, I would never go for a Muggle-born; but someone hideous _and_ Muggle-born, well that's just ridiculous."

Regulus laughed. "So you'd go for someone hideous if they _weren't _Muggle-born?"

"Well, I don't know. He'd have to have some pretty impressive ancestry," Vivienne replied, waving her arm dismissively. "And I mean _very _impressive. Like a descendant of Salazar Slytherin or something. Not to mention he'd have to be richer than me."

Regulus looked amused. "Oh really? Do continue."

"And he can't have rabbit teeth. I _hate _rabbit teeth. I mean, it's so stupid; any wizard who has rabbit teeth can easily get them shrunk, but half the people don't seem to realize that. They just go around with their teeth sticking out of their mouths anyway."

"Anything else?"

Vivienne turned to look at him sharply. "You're laughing at me, aren't you?" she demanded, looking at Regulus' slightly red face. He was clearly trying to hold in a laugh. She glared at him, before picking up his Quidditch robes and tossing them at his face playfully. "Stop laughing! I'm perfectly serious about rabbit teeth! It gives me nightmares."

Regulus swiped the robes away from his face and grinned. "Of course you are. Now when you say rabbit teeth..." he pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it lightly at his own face. Vivienne watched in horror as his front teeth began to grow. "This big? Or maybe more?"

Vivienne wasn't sure whether to laugh or hit him. The teeth were slowly growing out of his mouth now, and she could see them just poking into his front lip. It looked _hideous. _"Black, stop it. That it not funny," she insisted, but she couldn't resist a giggle. He put his wand down; his two front teeth were now halfway down his lower lip and he grinned at her.

"How do I look?" he asked. Vivienne turned her head away but she squealed as he leaned closer to her, forcing her to look at him. She had to admit that he looked quite horrible. "Is this going to give you nightmares?"

Vivienne fell back onto her elbows on the grass, trying to lean away from him as he got closer to her with those hideous teeth. She shoved him away but he gently grabbed her chin in his hands and turned her face to look at him. Vivienne squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at those hideous teeth. "Rosier, open your eyes."

"Not a chance in hell."

"Fine, the teeth are gone," he lied. "Happy now? Open your eyes."

Vivienne opened her eyes slowly to see that Regulus' eyes were inches away from her own. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at those beautiful grey orbs, looking down at her playfully. One of his hands was cupping her chin, while the other grasped her forearm gently. Vivienne was close enough to see the way his eyes crinkled slightly at the ends, and the soft black hair that fell onto his forehead.

Regulus' head was moving closer to hers. The hand that was grasping her forearm let go, and she could feel his fingers gently brush the side of her face; he was pushing her hair aside. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him hard, but somehow she couldn't move. The playfulness in his grey eyes had turned to a feeling more intense, and Vivienne was frozen.

"Black!" a voice yelled loudly, making them both jump. "Stop fooling around, practice starts in five minutes! If you're not on your broom by then, you'll be taking fifty laps around the pitch!"

Vivienne pushed herself away from Regulus quickly, and he jerked away from her as well. His grey eyes looked unfocused for a second, but he quickly turned back to Lucius Malfoy, who'd yelled out the command. "I'll be there in a second! Sorry!"

Vivienne blushed as he looked at her again. Regulus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Thank God that wasn't Rosier," he muttered, more to himself than Vivienne. But she caught it, and she raised her eyebrows.

"You're not afraid of my brother, are you?" she asked, trying to keep her teasing tone. She was still recovering from how close she'd been to him just seconds ago. Regulus looked a little embarrassed.

"What? No. Why would I be afraid of your brother?" he demanded, as he gathered up his broomstick and Quidditch robes. Vivienne shrugged. Regulus stood up with his things, and smiled sheepishly at her. Vivienne winced. "What?"

She made a face, and pointed to her own lips, signaling that his teeth were still sticking out of his mouth. Regulus' eyes widened and he quickly pulled out his wand to fix it. "Thanks. I'll see you, Rosier."

She laughed. "After the teeth thing? I doubt it."

He smiled again, and Vivienne felt something flutter in her stomach as she watched the corners of his lips turn up in amusement. Now that his teeth weren't poking out of his mouth, he actually looked quite handsome.

She watched him walk away, with a sigh.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N – I'm glad you guys are enjoying this! I'm sorry if you think this is fluffy; a lot of complaints that people had about La Trahison was that they didn't get to see enough of Sirius and Rochelle's interaction while they were happy. I'm trying not to make the same mistake here. **

**Be honest- is the Freya-Rabastan storyline boring? I know it took up almost half of this chapter, which is why I'm asking. Do you guys want me to delve deeper into it, or should I continue to concentrate on Vivienne and Regulus? **

**Let me know what you think! Review! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Freya walked out of class, trying to balance her books in her arms. She had just made it out into the corridor, when a figure with long blonde hair stepped in front of her. Freya blinked up at Narcissa. "Oh, there you are. Can you help me with these? Binns just assigned me a load of extra reading."

Narcissa took some of Freya's books, sighing. "Well, you're one of the only people I know who actually takes NEWT level History of Magic. But I need to talk to you about something. Did you say anything to Rabastan about Rochelle?"

Freya bit her lip. She felt terrible for betraying Narcissa when she'd promised not to, but she'd been acting on an impulse the previous night. She glanced at her friend solemnly. "Are you angry with me?"

"Actually, I am," Narcissa admitted. "Freya, you promised you wouldn't say anything. If you planned to tell him anyway, then why would you lie to me? You could have put my entire relationship with Lucius at risk."

"Did he find out you'd told me?" Freya asked, worried. Had Rabastan mentioned her name after all? She felt guilt bubbling up in her stomach. "Cissy, I'm so sorry. I didn't plan to tell him or anything, it was just an impulse. I should have controlled myself. If Lucius found out and got mad at you-"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, he didn't find out. He thinks that Rochelle herself let something slip to Rabastan. But he's furious; he had to make sure Rabastan wouldn't tell anybody. As far as I know, the four of us are the only ones who know about it. You haven't told anyone else, have you?"

"Of course not. I'm really sorry."

Narcissa sighed. "It's all right. I met Rabastan as I was coming out of Charms this afternoon. He's really upset. He said that he wanted to talk to you, but he wasn't sure you'd want to talk to _him._"

Freya was silent.

"Anyway, he told me to ask you to meet him at the top of the Astronomy tower at 5 o' clock. You don't have to go, Freya. You've done enough for him; all he'll probably do is hurt you again. But that's just my advice. You can do whatever you want."

Freya glanced at her watch. "It's just gone half past four."

"I know."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

"Hardy, I honestly don't know how to thank you," Vivienne gushed, as she handed the sheaf of parchment to the clumsy fifth-year Ravenclaw. He caught it quickly, before shoving his glasses up his nose and smiling toothily. "You're such a sweetheart. I promise I'll make it up to you in any way I can."

"That's all right, Rosier," he said, still smiling nervously. "I d-don't mind helping. Honestly."

"Don't be silly," Vivienne replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. He was taller than her, and it was a little difficult. But his eyes turned slightly wide to look at where her palm touched his robes. "Please let me know if you need anything Hardy, I'll be happy to help."

Hardy could only nod. "Erm, Tuesday, then?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Vivienne replied, with a soft smile.

"Of course not. I'll, erm, I'll see you then."

Vivienne gave him a brilliant smile as Hardy stumbled away clutching her sheets of parchment. Feeling satisfied, Vivienne whirled around and came face-to-face with a curious-looking Regulus Black. She almost gasped in surprise. "Merlin, Black! You scared me!"

"What was that?" he asked her suspiciously. Vivienne shrugged and started to walk down the corridor. Regulus followed her. "Because to me, it looked as if you were paying that Ravenclaw boy to do your homework for you."

Vivienne mock gasped in horror. "Well, shame on you! How dare you accuse me of such cheap behavior? I haven't paid him a single Knut, if you must know."

"Well, that's even worse then. You're taking advantage of his stupidity and making him do it for free."

"He's a Ravenclaw. He knows perfectly well what he's doing."

Regulus shook his head, with a chuckle. In reality, he found the idea that Vivienne could convince a fifth-year Ravenclaw to do her homework for her somewhat amusing. The poor boy was probably infatuated with her, the way she touched his shoulder and smiled sweetly. "I think I spoke too soon, Rosier. Maybe I was right about you all along. At the very least, get a _sixth _year to do it for you; what could the poor boy know about NEWT level subjects?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "He's smarter than you think. And besides, _I'm _not stupid. His work gets me by with As and the occasional E. If I suddenly started submitting excellent work, the professors would be a little suspicious, don't you think?"

"No doubt," Regulus replied with a smile. Vivienne turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why is it that you find everything I do amusing?"

Regulus shrugged. "I don't know. You're very entertaining."

"You need more friends."

"Probably."

Vivienne stopped walking and turned to face him. "Well, I should probably make this clear now. There's no point in telling anyone what you saw; Hardy will never admit to doing my work to a Professor and you'll end up looking like an idiot."

"I have no intentions of ruining your carefully drafted plans. But I'm very curious, Rosier. Is there anyone in this school – or anywhere at all, actually- that hasn't fallen for your tricks and sweet smiles? At least a single person who figured you out?"

Vivienne laughed. "You, genius."

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Freya had probably paced the entrance to the top of the Astronomy Tower twenty times after she heard the clock chime for five o'clock. Her hands were trembling slightly; did she really want to do this? Did she want to go meet Rabastan after the way he'd hurt her? What if he only made things worse?

But a part of her was curious. Would he apologize? Even though it seemed absurd, there was an irrational part of her mind that was creating fantasies about him begging to have her back. But she knew that the idea was stupid. Rabastan Lestrange didn't beg and he certainly wasn't going to start for some filthy half-blood. She took a deep breath. She wasn't afraid of him. Freya would go in there, ask him what he wanted and walk back out.

She pushed the door open and went in, seeing Rabastan sitting in one of the chairs with his back to her. He was slouched over, with his head in his hands. As she entered the room, he spoke quietly without turning to face her. "So you decided to come in. I half thought you were going to leave with all that pacing you were doing outside."

Freya bristled. "Well if you don't want me here, I'd be more than happy to-"

"No." His voice was softer and he turned to look at her. "Please don't go."

The pained look in his brown eyes made her freeze. Even after all he'd done to her, Freya felt a rush of sympathy. Of course he was upset. He'd just found out that the girl he'd been so obsessed with was with someone else. Quietly, Freya pulled up a chair and sat beside him. She managed to keep a respectable distance; she wanted him to know that she was wary of him. "Why did you ask me to come here, Lestrange?"

Rabastan shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you." He glanced at her sideways, but her face was cold and pale. He longed to see that blush again. "Freya, I'm sorry. I know I hurt you last year-"

Freya didn't look at him. Rabastan was still watching her, but her gaze was fixed firmly on the other side of the room. He'd lifted his hand to touch her, but he decided against it. She wasn't going to listen to his apologies, that much was clear. He slumped back in his seat. "I feel angry. Like she cheated me. All this time- I never even realized that... It hurts. To know that the person I cared about doesn't even exist."

"Funny. That's how I felt."

He sighed. "I'm trying to apologize for that, Freya! Will you please listen to me? I cared about you, it just never would have worked with my family and blood status. If they found out about you, I'd probably get disowned. I was afraid."

Freya didn't respond. Rabastan sighed, feeling irritated. "Why did you even come up here if you weren't going to listen to a word I said?"

"I don't know, Rabastan. Why did you ask me out if you knew that we were never going to work?"

He watched her, his brown eyes filled with pain. He finally turned away from her, his gaze going back to the window. This conversation was going nowhere. They sat in silence for a few moments until Freya finally got up and left.

He watched her go without saying a word, though his mind was raging with them.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Vivienne spotted Regulus sitting at the breakfast table the next morning. He had his head bent over the newspaper and seemed to be reading it intently. Vivienne watched him for a few moments; the way his grey eyes eagerly read the words and his black hair brushed his forehead, getting in the way. She finally snapped out of her trance and sat beside him, clearing her throat.

"Morning. Can you pass the toast?" she asked politely. Regulus didn't even look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the paper as he clumsily reached a hand out to grab the basket of toast and passed it to her. Vivienne took it, giving him a wary look. "Erm, thanks."

Regulus only grunted in response, and Vivienne raised an eyebrow. What the bloody hell was so interesting about the paper that he wouldn't even look at her? She tried to glance at what he was reading, but she couldn't see it. Irritated, she waved a hand in front of his face. "Black? Are you there?"

"What do you want?" he asked, shoving her hand out of his face. His warm fingers closed around hers as he firmly pushed them away from himself. Vivienne snatched her hand back, annoyed that he still wasn't looking at her. She didn't like being ignored.

"Fine. Read your bloody paper," she snapped. She put her elbow on the table innocently and waved her hand in a clumsy manner so that Regulus' goblet of pumpkin juice fell over. Vivienne watched happily as the orange stain spread across the white tablecloth and soaked the newspaper, not to mention dripped over Regulus' uniform. He jumped up in horror.

"Rosier! Bloody hell!"

Vivienne smiled innocently. "Oh dear. Was that my fault? I'm terribly sorry."

Regulus groaned as he watched the orange stain seep into his white school shirt as well, feeling cold against his skin. He shot Vivienne a dirty look, but she was only blinking at him innocently. Regulus had to pull out his wand and clean everything up. He sat down once he was done. "That was uncalled for, Rosier."

"I don't like to be ignored," she replied simply. He watched as she picked up his newspaper; the one he'd just dried of pumpkin juice. "Now what was so interesting that it could turn your attention away even from _me_?" Vivienne flipped the pages. "Let's see. Muggle attacks. Quidditch. Muggle attacks. Some old Ministry fellow croaked. Muggle attacks. _Boring_. What the bloody hell were you reading?"

"Muggle attacks."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Missing out on the fun, are you? My brother hates being cooped up in school when he could be out there fighting. He even wanted to miss his seventh year, but Mother had a heart attack when he suggested it," Vivienne replied casually. "Have you joined yet?" She reached out to pull up Regulus' sleeve, and was almost disappointed when she saw nothing but smooth skin. "Hm. My brother got his Mark at your age. But then again, I suppose he used Father's influence. Your Dad's not involved, is he?"

Regulus cleared his throat. "Uh, no. He supports my ambitions. But unlike your _brother _and the rest of them, I'm not doing this to impress my family. I truly want to help bring wizards out of hiding. It's a noble cause."

Vivienne shrugged. "So... Christmas is coming."

"I'm aware of the date."

"Well, I don't like to beat around the bush. I know we've been getting along lately, but are we at the gift-exchanging stage, yet?" she asked. "I mean, I'd hate to get you something and then find out that _you _didn't even bother."

"Most people would be worried that it was the other way around."

Vivienne shook her head. "Oh, don't be silly. I love getting gifts and not having to give anything in return. It's when I send someone a present and they don't bother about _me _that I feel annoyed. So do you plan on getting me something or not?"

Regulus looked mildly startled. "I suppose, yeah."

"Give me a price range."

"Rosier, _honestly_!"

"What?" she demanded. "What if I get you something really expensive and you only buy me, like, a book or something? I'd like to be prepared."

"I'm not stupid enough to buy _you_ a book. And I'm not giving you a bloody price range, I haven't even thought about Christmas presents yet! It's over two weeks away!"

"Fine, be that way," Vivienne replied, as she finished her last piece of toast. Regulus watched her in amusement as she downed the last of her juice. "You'll be lucky if you get a handkerchief from me."

Regulus laughed as she walked away.

Vivienne Rosier could certainly keep him on his toes.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

**A/N –I hope you guys liked this chapter- Regulus and Vivienne's relationship has evolved into a sort of teasing friendship, I guess. Next chapter will probably skip forward to Christmas. It might take me a while to put it up, though. I'll give you a tiny hint- you may be seeing more of Walburga Black. :D Gosh, it's weird, but I have a soft spot for that woman. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Oh, you know who I was thinking about when I was writing the last part about the price range? Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory. He does something a little similar in one episode, though not exactly. I love him! **

**Let me know what you think! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 (Part 1) **

**(Christmas Holidays)**

"Peppy! Have you seen that blue dress I brought over summer?" Vivienne demanded. She had practically turned her closet upside-down but she couldn't find it anywhere. She walked out of her room and went to the top of the staircase. "Peppy! I need to get ready for the party, would you _please_ find my blue dress?"

"What are you screaming about? Peppy went out to run some errands," Josephine Rosier said, as she walked over to her daughter's room. "Honestly, Vivienne, you know better than to yell when your father is in the house."

Vivienne turned red. She'd forgotten that the senior Rosier was downstairs in his study and she hoped he hadn't heard her yelling. "Sorry, Mum. I can't find the blue dress. Could you summon it for me?"

Josephine sighed. "What am I going to do with you? We have to leave in five minutes, Vivienne. You're looking for it _now? Accio _dress!"

Vivienne rushed into her room to slip the dress on. There was a Christmas party at the Black's that night. Most pureblood families threw some sort of Christmas party, but this seemed to be the biggest one this year. Josephine Rosier personally thought it was an attempt by Walburga and Orion Black to get their son introduced into the right circles. Everyone knew that Regulus Black had ambitions about joining the Death Eaters. But the Blacks were certainly sparing no expense this year. And it would be a nice time for Vivienne to be seen with the boy. "Hurry up! I'm waiting exactly ten minutes and then we'll leave without you, young lady. Evan is ready."

"I'm done!"

Vivienne joined her family as they all Flooed to the Black's home. Vivienne had never been in 12 Grimmauld Place before, but from the number of pictures and other ancient looking things hanging on the walls, it was clear that this was a family that was proud of it's ancestors. They had barely walked into the front hall when Walburga Black appeared to greet them.

"Ah, Mr. And Mrs. Rosier! How wonderful to see you," she gushed. She was wearing some new atrocity that was covered in purple feathers and Vivienne had to lift a hand up to her mouth to control the laughter. "We're so glad you could make it. I hope you are all well?"

"We're wonderful, thank you, Walburga," Josephine replied politely. "Your home looks lovely this evening. Very... festive."

Vivienne snickered as her parents finished their pleasantries and walked further into the room. Evan had long disappeared after seeing one of his friends and Vivienne was trapped in Mrs. Black's company. "Oh, Vivienne! I haven't seen you since Royce Vittori's wedding over summer. You're growing into a beautiful young lady."

Vivienne pretended to look pleasantly embarrassed. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Black. That's very kind of you. Your dress looks beautiful tonight, I do so admire your sense of fashion."

Walburga Black shook her head dismissively. "Oh, this old thing? That's just silly. I do hope you have fun tonight, dear. How has school been treating you? A lovely little thing like you, I do so wish that your parents had sent you to Beauxbatons. I longed to go there when I was younger. Our ancestors were French, you know; such elegant people."

Vivienne forced a smile. "Sounds lovely."

"And they teach such pretty manners to those girls; not that you seem to have any trouble there, my dear, your manners are quite admirable. Your parents have taught you well, unlike those crude Vittoris... but of course, it's Christmas. Do enjoy yourself, dear."

"I will, Mrs. Black," Vivienne replied, rushing away before Walburga could start talking again. She noticed Regulus standing a little distance away, leaning against a wall. He'd been watching the exchange between Vivienne and his mother, looking quite amused. Vivienne marched over to him. "You can wipe that smirk of your face. I suppose it didn't occur to you to come and save me from her?"

Regulus shrugged. "Sorry. I was having too much fun. Drink?"

"Please."

Regulus grinned as he poured Vivienne a drink and handed her the glass. She looked quite elegant in her blue dress. Her hair was partially pinned back and her eyes had been made up to look bigger than they were. She was the image of innocence and sweetness. It amused Regulus to know that her looks were completely misleading as to her character. Vivienne downed the drink in one shot, but seemed disappointed when she realized it wasn't what she thought. "What is this? I was hoping for something a little more alcoholic."

"Sure. The alcohol's over by the bar, where my mother is standing."

Vivienne made a face. "I'll pass."

"I thought you would."

Vivienne glanced at Regulus and saw that he was, as expected, impeccably dressed. His hair was pushed back neatly and his dress robes fit him perfectly. They were simple, but one could see clearly that they were expensive. She smiled. "You're very well dressed, Black. Who knew that you had taste? I suppose you've stopped letting your Mum dress you..."

"Very funny," Regulus replied. "Ironic, considering you seem to compliment my mother's fashion sense whenever you see her."

"That's sarcasm. It's not my fault she doesn't pick up on it. And I see your manners have disappeared tonight. I paid you a compliment yet you haven't even returned the favor," Vivienne replied. Regulus opened his mouth, but she put a hand up to stop him. "Don't bother; it doesn't mean much now that I've _asked _for it."

"Actually, I was going to say that I didn't think you needed your ego inflated any further. My mother complimented you enough for the both of us. I suppose that's the nice thing about her; I never have to say much, she does all the talking," mused Regulus.

"Hm. My Mum doesn't let me talk much either; but that's because she doesn't think young women should talk too much when they're in society."

Regulus shrugged, before he turned to Vivienne with a smile. "Did you know that our mothers hated each other in Hogwarts?"

"They _did_?"

"Aunt Druella was just telling me about it today," Regulus replied, his grey eyes twinkling in amusement. "Apparently they had a huge fight in the Great Hall once; food was thrown everywhere and the like. They got detention for it, and they've hated each other since. That's what Aunt Druella said, anyway."

Vivienne's eyes widened. "_Honestly_? What were they fighting about?"

"She wasn't sure. She said they were jealous of each other; apparently each of them thought they were the prettiest in the school. And then there was some boy... I don't remember his name. Apparently they were fighting over him as well."

"I had no idea my mother even _knew _yours back then!"

Regulus was puzzled. "But when you first met Mum, you told her that your mother talked about her all the time."

"Don't be silly; I say that to half the people I meet, it's not _true," _Vivienne said, dismissively. She looked thoughtful as she bit her lip. "Merlin, our mothers are such hypocrites, aren't they? I can't believe they loathed each other in Hogwarts and now they're trying to hitch you and me together. Why are they doing this?"

"Maybe it's revenge."

"Revenge?"

Regulus shrugged. "Well, maybe your mother thinks that the best way to get revenge on mine is if she managed to make you her daughter-in-law. That way, _my _Mumwill have to live the rest of her life in misery, while your mother is happily rid of you."

"_Pardon me?" _

"I was joking, Rosier," Regulus said, chuckling at the offended look on her face. "Don't take it so seriously."

"Well, I'll have you know that your mother would be lucky to have me as a daughter-in-law."

"I'm sure she would," Regulus began, but he trailed off when he saw something at the other end of the room. His grey eyes brightened and he put his glass down quickly. "I have to go. I'll see you around, Rosier."

Vivienne opened her mouth to protest, but he'd already walked away. How rude.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

Orion Black smiled as he saw his son approaching him. He gestured for him to come over quickly, and then put a hand on his back. "Mr. Malfoy, I don't believe you've met my son Regulus, have you?"

Abraxas Malfoy looked down at him. Regulus' heartbeat had increased in anticipation, but he could see no form of expression on the older man's face. Abraxas Malfoy looked neither pleased nor disappointed. Regulus smiled politely and held his hand out. "It's a pleasure, Mr. Malfoy," he replied, before pausing. Perhaps one of Vivienne's tricks could come into use here. "My father has told me many wonderful things about you, and it's an honor to finally meet you."

There was no response and for a moment, Regulus was worried. Had he spoken too fast? Perhaps his words had sounded fake? Of course; how could he possibly pull off one of Vivienne's tricks? She was a simpering sweet girl and he was supposed to be a polite young man. What had he been _thinking? _

The corner of Abraxas Malfoy's mouth twitched; so slightly that it wouldn't have been noticeable had Regulus not been staring at the man's face. He shook his hand briefly. "I hear that you are a young man with high ambitions. That's a good quality."

"Thank you, sir."

Abraxas nodded. "Not to waste time with trifles, then; your father tells me that you wish to dedicate yourself to the Dark Lord's cause. That's a very noble thought indeed, but I wonder if you understand the responsibility and dedication that must come with such an honored position."

"I do, sir. I find the Dark Lord's ideas tremendously inspiring and I believe that he can change the Wizarding world as we know it. It would be a privilege to put whatever services I can forward, to help him achieve his noble ends."

"I see," Mr. Malfoy replied. He glanced at Orion Black, who looked extremely proud of his son. "Your son has a way with words, Mr. Black. I'm sure that if his actions are half as gallant, he will be a very worthy addition to the Dark Lord's army."

"I can only hope so, Mr. Malfoy," replied Orion. Abraxas turned back to Regulus.

"Well, then. A few of the Dark Lord's most loyal supporters are gathering tomorrow night; at the home of Alfred Vittori. The Dark Lord himself may be present. Perhaps it would be in your interest to join us?"

Regulus nodded eagerly. "It would be an honor, sir."

"It is certainly an honor. I will have Lucius keep you informed."

Regulus nodded, and realized that this was his dismissal. He glanced at his father, who nodded once quickly. He politely made his excuse and left the two men alone, smiling to himself. Well, that hadn't gone badly at all.

X _ X_ X_X _X_ X_ X_X

It was a long time before Vivienne saw Regulus again. She'd managed to scarf down some cakes while her mother wasn't looking, and danced with a few people just to be polite. Unfortunately, everyone that she knew seemed rather busy. Narcissa was off with Lucius and Evan and his friends were huddled in a corner of the room, talking quietly. Vivienne wasn't interested in them.

A temporary bar had been set up along one wall, and Vivienne could see that there were many waiters moving around the room, serving drinks from it. Some pureblood families used house-elves for serving food and drink at parties, but it seemed that the Blacks had opted for a catering service. Perhaps they didn't have enough house elves. Either way, Vivienne sauntered up to the bar and smiled at the man behind it. He seemed to be in his late twenties, and he was quite good-looking. Vivienne glanced around to make sure that no one was watching her, and walked up to him.

"Can I have a Firewhisky, please?" she asked, with a brilliant smile. The man looked at her, a little startled. His blue eyes widened slightly.

"Erm... I'm sorry miss, but you don't look old enough to be drinking," he explained nervously. He looked unsure as he wrung his hands together. Vivienne laughed inside her head. This was almost too easy.

"_Pardon me_?" Vivienne demanded, her brown eyes widening in indignation. "Do you dare to make assumptions about my age? I've never been so insulted in my life!"

The man looked horrified. "Miss, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't meant to offend you! It's just... it's just that I've been forbidden to serve Firewhisky to people who are underage. I could lose my job you see, and I simply didn't... I'm terribly sorry."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not impressed. Must I perform magic to prove that I am of age?" she demanded, with a biting tone to her voice. She made to reach for her wand, even though she knew perfectly well that she couldn't use it. The man shook his head frantically.

"No, miss, of course not!" he insisted, and set about pouring her drink for her. Vivienne smiled to herself happily. She noticed that the man didn't pull out his wand or use magic to pour anything. _He's probably_ a _Squib, _she thought distastefully. No wonder he had been so easy to trick. The serving he poured her was considerably large, and Vivienne shot him a condescending look before walking away with the glass.

Vivienne was searching for a quiet corner to sip the alcohol she'd just obtained, when she almost bumped into someone. She looked up and saw Evan staring down at her, with a raised eyebrow. _Shit. _It was too late; her brother had already noticed the glass in her hand. "What are you drinking?" he asked sharply.

"Butterbeer."

"Doesn't _look _like Butterbeer. Looks like Firewhisky."

Vivienne frowned at him. "Oh, really? Then I suppose it's the same stuff you and your friends snuck almost ten bottles of, up into your room one summer, when Mother and Father were out? How old were you then? Fifteen? "

Evan rolled his eyes. "Have you ever had it before?"

Vivienne scoffed. _No. _"Of course I have."

"Liar," he replied. Someone called his name from across the room and he lifted a hand to signal that he was coming, before turning back to Vivienne. "One glass only. We're in public, remember? Otherwise I'll tell Mum and Dad. And for Merlin's sake, don't do anything stupid."

"Why would I do something stupid?"

Evan gave her a disbelieving look before walking away to meet his friends. Vivienne waited until he was gone to take a sip of the drink. She coughed suddenly, almost spilling it onto her dress. Now she knew why it was called Firewhisky. It burned as it went down her throat, but the impact it had on her mind was immediate. Vivienne glanced around once more; her mother was standing with a large group of women, and her father was speaking to some Ministry colleagues. Smiling, Vivienne took another sip.

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Regulus spent most of his evening talking to random people. His mother insisted on his meeting a number of her friends; most middle-aged women like her, who commented on what a polite young man he'd become. One of them even convinced him to dance with her daughter. The daughter was a fourteen year old girl who looked delighted, and chattered for the entire song. Regulus didn't even have to pretend to be interested. It was odd; Vivienne talked a lot too, but he never felt the itching urge to slap her the way he was feeling with this girl. He rushed away after the song.

Avery and Mulciber were sipping drinks nearby, and he managed to join their conversation for a bit. It wasn't half bad; they were talking about things they'd heard about the Dark Lord and what it was like to be his servant. Neither of them had received their Marks yet, but they were certainly on the right track. Regulus was engrossed in their conversation and didn't move until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Black. Can I have a word?" Evan Rosier asked him. Regulus nodded, and excused himself from Avery and Mulciber, as the taller, blonde-haired boy led him a little distance away. He lowered his voice. "I think there's a slight problem. My sister is drunk."

Regulus almost choked. "She got _alcohol_?"

"The Squib manning your bar is an idiot. Look, this is the fourth drink I've seen her having, and she's never drunk before. In a few minutes, she's either going to pass out or humiliate herself."

Regulus glanced over to where Evan was gesturing. Vivienne was, indeed, leaning against the wall in a secluded and distant corner of the room. Her cheeks were flushed and she held a half empty glass in her hand. "What do you want me to do?" Regulus asked, doubtfully.

"Well, I've told her to stop, but she won't listen to me. If she does something stupid, my parents will make it out to be _my _fault," Evan replied irritably. "Just get her to stop drinking, all right? She doesn't know how much she can handle."

He nodded, and Evan swept away. Regulus felt a little annoyed. Bloody hell, he was her brother, should he be handling Vivienne himself? Then again, he was the host. The last thing he needed was for Vivienne to cause a scene in his home. Keeping his fingers crossed, he walked over to her quietly.

"Rosier. There you are."

Vivienne jumped, and whirled around to face Regulus. Her cheeks did look flushed, but she didn't seem _completely _drunk. Regulus made a mental note to tell his parents about the stupid bartender. "Black. What do you want?" she asked irritably.

"How many of those have you had?" he asked, gesturing towards the glass.

"Two."

"Your brother thinks it's four."

"My brother's an idiot. He thinks that I'll do something stupid and he'll get into trouble with Mother and Father because he knew I was drinking. And I suppose he sent you over to get me to stop. I can handle my alcohol, Black."

Regulus smiled. It seemed that drunk Vivienne was a lot like normal Vivienne. "Are you sure about that?" he asked. He gave her a gentle push on the shoulder; had Vivienne been sober, it shouldn't have even caused her to stumble. But she lost balance and knocked into the wall, dropping her glass. Luckily, the room was too noisy for anyone to hear it shatter. "Still think you're sober?"

"You pushed me!" she cried indignantly.

"I barely touched you," he replied, grabbing her arm and helping her straighten up. Vivienne dusted herself off and looked up at him, frowning. Her chestnut hair was sticking to her face and Regulus pushed it out of her eyes carefully. The chocolate brown irises were slightly unfocused as she stared at him. "What are you looking at?" he asked.

Vivienne shrugged. "I don't know. You have grey eyes. They're rather small, aren't they? You probably worry a lot, you're starting to get frown lines on your forehead. And your nose is too big for your face."

"All right, that's enough. You don't get to use being drunk as an excuse to insult me," Regulus replied. He tightened his grip on her arm. "We're going into the kitchen and I'll get Kreacher to find you a potion that will sober you up before your parents find you."

Vivienne didn't protest as Regulus gently guided her to the kitchen. She was too busy staring at his face. She wasn't sure why she'd said that about his eyes. They were actually quite nice. His nose _was _a little big though. Vivienne giggled to herself as Regulus slipped his arm around her back to support her.

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**A/N – It isn't over yet! The rest of the party will be put up next chapter, though I can't promise when that will be. I haven't written it yet. It was getting really long so I figured I would stop here. **

**Thanks for the reviews! Do let me know what you guys think. **


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Kreacher was bustling around the kitchen, trying to make sure that the food that went out to the guests was perfect. He knew that his mistress demanded only the best quality, especially at a party such as this. So when Master Regulus entered, supporting a girl with chestnut hair and flushed cheeks, he didn't quite know what to do.

"Kreacher; could you bring that stool over here?" Regulus asked, as his grip on Vivienne's back tightened. She wasn't _all _that heavy, but it was still a relief to his arms when he could set her down on the kitchen stool that Kreacher hastily brought. Vivienne plopped down on it, the skirt of her dress hanging off the seat gracefully.

"Oh hello, Peppy," she said lightly, when she saw Kreacher. "What are you doing here?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "I don't know who Peppy is, but that's Kreacher, our house elf. Kreacher, this is Miss Vivienne Rosier. She's had a bit too much to drink."

Vivienne only proved his statement true by giggling and sticking her hand out happily to Kreacher. The house elf's eyes widened, as he looked unsure what to do. It wasn't every day that a witch offered to shake his hand. Had Vivienne been in her right mind, she certainly wouldn't have done it. Glancing warily at his master, Kreacher let his fingers lightly brush Vivienne's hand before dropping it hastily. She smiled happily at him. "Isn't he the perfect gentleman? Your house elf has got better manners than you, Black."

"I'm sure," Regulus replied drily. "Kreacher, please tell me that you can find something which will sober Vivienne up? A potion?"

Kreacher's eyes widened. "Kreacher does not know of any potion which can counter the effects of Firewhisky, master."

Regulus sighed. What was he supposed to do now? He glanced down at Vivienne, who was fiddling absent-mindedly with the hem of her skirt. If he let her go out like this, no doubt her parents would notice that something was wrong. And since he'd taken her into the kitchen, _he _might be blamed. "We need to get her to think straight," Regulus insisted. "A Wit-Sharpening Potion? Will that clear her head?"

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Master. Kreacher can brew a Wit-Sharpening Potion in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

Regulus was a little relieved as the house elf went about the kitchen to gather the necessary ingredients. Vivienne was still fiddling with her skirt silently. He pulled up another stool and sat beside her. "Merlin, Rosier, you just love giving me trouble, don't you?"

Vivienne shrugged. Her lower lip was jutting out in a pout and her fingers played with the hem. "I'm lonely," she said finally, looking up at him as her shoulders slumped. "Do you ever feel lonely, Regulus?"

_Oh, for the love of- _"No, Rosier. And you're not lonely either, you're just drunk."

"No, I'm lonely," she replied sadly. Her big chocolate brown eyes looked so pitiful that Regulus almost felt a rush of sympathy towards her. But then again, this was Vivienne Rosier. She could make any bloody person in this world love her, how could she possibly feel lonely? "I think you're lonely too. Are you?"

"No."

"I am."

"Yes, I got that."

Vivienne was silent again, and Regulus didn't quite know what to do. Part of him wanted to laugh. Clearly Vivienne was prone to self-pity when she was drunk; she wouldn't be the first person who was. He glanced at Kreacher, who had just put the cauldron on. The Potion would take a little while. Maybe he could have some fun. He leaned back and smiled. "Why are you lonely, Rosier?"

Vivienne looked up at him. "Because nobody loves me. People only love me because I lie to them. About how they look and things like that. I don't _want _to lie. But if I don't, people won't love me. So I'm lonely."

Regulus wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or feel sympathetic. Deciding that it was probably better not to laugh, he sighed. "Maybe you don't give them a chance to love you. You don't have to flatter everyone the moment they meet you, Rosier. You should give people a chance to know who you really are, underneath all the sycophancy."

Vivienne blinked. "What does that mean? Sy-sycophancy? Is it food?" she glanced around the kitchen. "I'm hungry. I hope it's dessert."

Regulus sighed and got up from the stool. What was the point in giving her advice if she wasn't even paying attention? He walked to the other side of the large kitchen and leaned over the potion that Kreacher had bubbling in the cauldron. It smelled right; it should only take another two or three minutes.

A loud voice broke the silence. "Regulus! For Merlin's sake, what are you doing in the kitchen?" demanded Walburga Black. She was standing in the doorway, looking annoyed. Regulus' eyes widened and he quickly walked over to his mother, closing the kitchen door behind her. "Is this Vivienne? Darling, is everything all right?" she asked her, in a much softer voice.

Vivienne's big chocolate brown eyes were watery. "Mrs. Black, I'm such a terrible person!" she wailed suddenly, from where she was sitting on the stool. Regulus could only watch in silent horror as the girl stood up and threw her arms around his mother. "I'm so sorry!"

Walburga Black looked startled as Vivienne sobbed against her shoulder. She froze for a moment, and then awkwardly patted her back, while glancing at her son. Regulus looked as though he wanted to slam his head against a wall repeatedly. Was this _really _the time for Vivienne to be repenting all her mistakes? Regulus' mother gave him a shocked look, before turning her attention back to Vivienne. "There, there, dear. Why don't you tell me what happened? Was it Regulus? Did he upset you?"

"Mum!" Regulus cried indignantly. He was bloody trying to help the girl and somehow it was _his _fault that she was sobbing her eyes out? "Honestly, it's fine. She's a bit upset about something, I don't think she wants to-"

Vivienne nodded her head, as Walburga Black carefully helped the girl sit on the stool again. "Mrs. Black, I've been lying to you this whole time. And I'm sorry, because you've always been nice to me, and..." Vivienne sniffed, as Regulus wondered what she would say. No doubt she was about to blurt out something stupid and he needed to stop her.

"_Kreacher_!" Regulus insisted. "The potion, please, _now_!"

"What potion?" demanded Walburga Black. Turning, she glared at her son. "Regulus, you will explain to me what potion you are brewing and what has dear Vivienne in tears this instant!"

Regulus sighed. "Mum, I will in a minute, I just think it's a good idea if we give Vivienne the potion before she says something stupid."

"I'm not going to say anything stupid!" Vivienne cried indignantly, glaring at Regulus. She was sniffing again. "Mrs. Black, I just want to t-tell you the truth! I-I lost the bet that we had and-" she paused, hiccupping slightly. Her hoarse voice was making it difficult to understand what she was saying. "And I-I had to tell you that I was having an a-affair, so that you'd_ hate_ me, but everyone already hates me, and-"

_Bloody hell. _Regulus sighed in relief as Kreacher finally brought over the finished potion. He gestured for the house elf to make Vivienne drink it, as he took his mother's arm. "Mum, can we please talk while Vivienne drinks the potion? I'll explain everything, I promise."

Walburga Black followed her son to the other end of the kitchen, looking both confused and angry. "Regulus, what is the meaning of this?"

"Mum, she's drunk. She had some Firewhisky, she doesn't know what she's saying. I had Kreacher make a Wit-Sharpening Potion so that nobody would find out," Regulus explained quickly. No lie was elaborate enough to explain what was going on, and Regulus preferred to stick to the truth. "I probably should have come to you first."

Walburga Black's anger melted away. She glanced at Vivienne sympathetically, who was still crying and shaking her head while Kreacher attempted to coax her to take the potion. "Oh, the poor dear! Did she pick up the wrong glass or something of the sort? Those men; they don't even know how to be careful with their drinks when there are children about!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Perhaps it was better not to mention that Vivienne had taken the Firewhisky intentionally. "Erm, yes."

Walburga shook her head with a sigh. "But what did she mean about lying to me? And she said something about an affair, Regulus; do you know what that's about?"

Regulus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "No clue, Mum."

"Don't lie to me," Walburga replied tersely. "I'm your mother, I know when you're lying. Now Vivienne might have been drunk, but she certainly wasn't spinning stories out of thin air. Is she _really _having an affair with someone? Merlin, Regulus, was she talking about _you_?"

_Bloody-_How the hell was Regulus supposed to explain this now? He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The truth was too complicated, and Regulus had never been very good at telling elaborate lies. Walburga Black's eyes widened once more, in a mixture of delight and disappointment. "Regulus Arcturus Black, do you mean to tell me that all this time, you've been with Vivienne, and you didn't _tell _me? No wonder the poor girl is racked with guilt! Honestly, if you'd said that the two of you had feelings for each other, we would have arranged a betrothal instead of all this unnecessary secrecy! Your father and I would most certainly have approved!"

Regulus was speechless. "What? No, Mum-it's not like that, really-"

"Don't be silly," Walburga Black replied, frowning. "Judging by how guilty Vivienne looked, I'm sure it was all your idea to keep this a secret. I will not let you create a scandal out of what would be a wonderful match for you. As a matter of fact, I will go speak to your father right now and we will talk to the Rosiers about a betrothal."

"You can't tell _her_ parents about it! She'll go mental! Not that she already isn't, but-"

"I most certainly _will _be telling her parents! I'm very disappointed, Regulus, I think we raised you better than this. You shouldn't have had a secret relationship with Vivienne. I can only hope that for Merlin's sake the two of you haven't crossed any boundaries that shouldn't have been crossed!"

Regulus flushed red as he understood what his mother was saying. "_No! _Mum, that is not what happened! There isn't any secret relationship!_" _

Walburga Black raised an eyebrow. "Then please explain what Vivienne was talking about."

"I..."

His mother shook her head. "We'll finish this discussion after the party. You will help Vivienne straighten up and once the guests are gone, we will talk about this."

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Once Walburga Black was gone, Regulus walked back over to where Vivienne was sitting. Kreacher had finally coaxed her into taking a swig of the Wit-Sharpening Potion, and her nose scrunched up as the disgusting liquid went down her throat. "Merlin, this stuff tastes awful. Why is my face all wet? Have I been crying? Oh, thank goodness that buzzing in my head has stopped, it was driving me insane."

Regulus folded his arms across his chest. "My mother thinks we're having an affair."

Vivienne looked up at him calmly. "I don't think the Potion worked. I'm going to take another sip and then you say what you just said again, all right?"

"Oh, it worked," Regulus replied sharply. He took the flask from her hands and banged it down on the kitchen counter. "Listen to me, Rosier. You got yourself drunk and you blurted out some nonsense to my mother. Now she thinks that we've been having an affair all this time and she's about to go to your parents to suggest a betrothal."

"_What? _No, you can't let her say anything to my parents! Where did she even get that idea from?" Vivienne demanded. Her brown eyes had gone wide. She opened her mouth to yell again, but her head exploded with pain. "Ohh... I feel like someone's bashing my head in with a hammer!"

"Well, that's what happens when you have _four glasses of Firewhisky!_"

"Stop yelling at me!" Vivienne cried. She looked like she was going to cry again, and Regulus softened a little. He stayed silent for a moment, as she waited for the sharp pain to subside. She finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much I'd drunk."

Regulus sighed. "Well, we can't help that. But we need to do something or we'll find ourselves betrothed to each other this time next week. I'm assuming you don't want that to happen?"

"I don't know. I can't think," Vivienne mumbled. "I suppose not. Do you?"

Regulus paused for a moment. He hadn't really considered it. Although the idea of spending the rest of his life with Vivienne Rosier was a little scary, the thought wasn't exactly... unpleasant. Regulus had never expected to marry for love, he'd always thought that his parents would find some pureblood girl once he was of age. But why not Vivienne? She was beautiful, and his mother loved her. Regulus had to admit that they'd been getting along lately. He was even attracted to her, and maybe, they could love each other at some point. Regulus' stomach started spinning at the thought. Was he really considering marrying Vivienne? "I, erm, I don't know either."

Vivienne looked up at him in surprise. She stood up slowly from the stool and grabbed the counter to steady herself. "Well, I just had four glasses of Firewhisky, so I'm not in a fit condition to make any decisions. What's your excuse?"

"My excuse?" Regulus' throat was dry, as Vivienne moved closer to him slowly, the stool being the only thing that remained between them. Her big brown eyes were staring up at him expectantly, and he didn't know what to do. How could he tell her that the idea of being married to her wasn't repulsive at all? That it was actually rather... appealing? He moved closer to her as well, and suddenly he could smell the faint tang of Firewhisky and her perfume. Her hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you thinking about it?" she asked him softly. She looked a little confused, but there was no smug grin or teasing glint in her eyes. "The betrothal? You're actually thinking about it?"

"I suppose I am," Regulus admitted uncomfortably.

"Why?"

"Because you're completely drunk and you made a mess of tonight, that _I _had to clean up, but I still..." he took a deep breath, and his hand reached out to touch her cheek. Her skin felt so soft against his thumb, and he held it there for a minute, on her flushed face. "I don't know. Does it repulse you? The idea of being married to me?"

Vivienne shook her head. "It doesn't repulse me at all. I just... I just don't want your mother telling my parents that we've been having some sort of affair. You don't know my father. If he thought I was having an affair with someone, even though you're a pureblood and everything, he would be furious. I don't think I could face him. Regulus, you can't let her say that to my parents."

Regulus sighed. "Well, I don't know what to do."

"Do anything, please," Vivienne whispered. She could still feel his cool fingers on her cheek and his grey eyes looking down at hers. There was no mistaking the expression in them. "Let her suggest the betrothal, as long as she doesn't say anything about an affair."

"And if your parents agree to the betrothal?"

"I... I don't know," Vivienne muttered. She sighed. "Merlin, Regulus, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I just wanted to try some Firewhisky, I probably should have done it while I was alone. I didn't mean to get you into a situation where you'd be forced to agree to marry me because your Mum thinks we've been shagging each other."

Regulus gave her a wry smile. "I still don't know if I can talk her out of telling your parents about the affair. She wouldn't keep quiet about something like that if she thinks it's true. There's no changing her mind."

Vivienne was silent for a moment. Her head was still feeling a little fuzzy, and she smiled up at Regulus. He was watching her with an expression so serious that for a moment, she wanted to laugh. "Well, if she'd going to tell them anyway, we might as well _make_ it true. I'm not going to get the scolding without ever having had the fun."

"What?"

Vivienne's grip on his shoulder tightened as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly. He was taller than her, but the moment their lips brushed, Regulus shifted the hand that was on her cheek to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Their lips were still barely touching when Vivienne made to pull away. Regulus held her in place with his hands. "Don't play games with me Vivienne," he mumbled, his grey eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't know if I can stand it."

Vivienne smiled lightly. "I'm just trying to get this bloody stool out of the way," she replied, as she pushed it aside with her foot and stepped closer to him. Regulus grinned back as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. He could still feel her warmth and smell that intoxicating perfume. "Better, isn't it?"

"Much," he replied hoarsely. Vivienne glanced up into his eyes once more, before his lips crashed down onto hers. She tasted of Firewhisky, and Regulus wasn't sure whether the buzzing in his head was because of the alcohol or the way Vivienne's lips melted against his. She gasped lightly into his mouth as he pulled her towards him until their bodies were flush against each other. Vivienne was tugging at his hair lightly. For a moment, neither of them remembered the kitchen or the fact that Kreacher the house elf had bolted out of the room as soon as he saw them start to kiss. Vivienne could only feel the passion coursing through her body, and the giddiness that was almost making her feel drunk again.

"You're bloody driving me crazy," Regulus whispered as his lips slowly danced over her jaw. Vivienne could only nod; the way his warm hands were stroking her lower back was sending shivers through her body. His lips paused on her neck. "I don't want to play these games, Vivienne. I think I want to marry you."

Vivienne froze, and Regulus slowly lifted his head until he was looking her in the eyes. He couldn't believe that he'd just blurted that out, but it wasn't as if he could take it back. He waited for her to respond as her mouth dropped open slightly. "You're not... you're not _serious_?"

"I am."

Vivienne stared at him, as she took a deep breath. All the blood had rushed to her face, and she still felt kind of fuzzy. Regulus' grey eyes were staring at her so intently that, coupled with the after-effects of the Firewhisky, she couldn't think straight. Had he just asked her to marry him? _Merlin, I'd do anything if it meant that he would kiss me like that again. _But she shook her head, trying to be rational. "I don't want to say something that I'll regret, Regulus. I should probably think about this."

For some reason, that made Regulus smile. Vivienne was a little surprised. She thought he might be upset that she wasn't more eager, but for some reason, he was grinning at her. "Sorry, it's just a little odd that _I'm_ being impulsive while _you're_ actually thinking things through logically. What have we done to each other?" he asked.

Vivienne grinned back. "I don't know. Maybe it was the kiss. We should do it again and set each other straight."

"I don't mind trying that."

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**A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; sorry it took a while. **

**Let me know what you think! **


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